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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23899375">Somebody’s Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sodapeach/pseuds/sodapeach'>sodapeach</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>VICTON (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Domestic Fluff, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Light Angst, Love at First Sight, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mutual Pining, Relationship growth be damned they’re married, Strangers to Lovers, all the fluff and the kitchen sink, lots of food and alcohol mentions, seungseok are fairy dogparents, seungwoo is head over heels but aren’t we all, side chanse and imsub, yes i threw everything in here</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:10:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>105,381</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23899375</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sodapeach/pseuds/sodapeach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Seungwoo barges into the wrong apartment and immediately falls in love with his neighbor who he then spends a week with, you know, just like normal neighbors do.</p><p>Or </p><p>Seungwoo does everything he can unsuccessfully to keep himself from falling for his neighbor who he’s sure couldn’t possibly feel the same way about him. (He does).</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Han Seungwoo/Kang Seungsik</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>490</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>513</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Left or Right</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! This was a one shot that got out of hand, so I decided to split it into chapters to make your lives and my life a little bit easier so if the chapter endings feel a bit blunt, it’s just because I tried to make the length a bit more digestible. </p><p>I hope you enjoy!!!</p><p>Edit: my 2k oneshot became a 50k+ monster so if you notice any plot mistakes please forgive me i don’t have a very big brain 😭</p><p>Edit: 100k........</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo goes home. Sort of.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter Reposted Aug. 7</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungwoo hadn’t had a day off in fourteen days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calling it a fortnight didn’t do his body justice, and even the idea that it was only two weeks oversimplified the fact that it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>too much time </span>
  </em>
  <span>for one person to do anything, let alone </span>
  <em>
    <span>work</span>
  </em>
  <span>. A human being wasn’t supposed to go that long without a break, and after those fourteen days, Seungwoo no longer felt like he could call himself human.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two weeks was a lifetime for some creatures he guessed. Mayflies maybe. But to him, it had been a period of his life designed to completely kick his ass, and he was paying for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he was finally at the end of what had become a mental exercise in endurance (or self flagellation), and the only thing that stood between him and his five star big boy mattress was a single two hour commute on a train followed by another half hour on the subway once he reached the city (if he made it in time), and a short walk to his building from his stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Staying awake for those two, almost three hours was imperative, but he absolutely could not risk his phone dying in case something went wrong so to keep himself from passing out and ending up on the wrong side of the country, he forced himself to gaze out the window. It was a gamble because he risked making himself sick, but maybe with the lunch box (if one could call in a lunch box at that point in the evening) balanced on his lap, he could find a happy place between stimulated and distracted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The contents were barely enough to feed a small child, but the fear of dropping any of it onto the floor and making a complete fool of himself without a napkin in sight was enough to keep him awake for the journey as long as he didn’t eat it all too fast. Unfortunately, snacking like this was torture for his exhausted body, and there was a moment somewhere around the point where he almost swallowed the boiled egg whole in one bite that the autopilot switch in his his brain was flipped, and everything but his legs completely shut down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As a result, he skipped the entire period of time from when he was trying to keep himself awake on the train right up until the moment when he was headed directly for his apartment door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With heavy eyes, he punched his code into the keypad on the door, and pushed it open like it weighed more than he did. He didn’t look up from his feet as the cold air hit his face even though he didn’t remember leaving the air conditioning up so high that morning. He cursed himself for what it was going to do to his electric bill if he made it a habit, but it did feel nice against his wind-beaten skin after being out in the sun all day, he had to admit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo still hadn’t regained control of his body, so, following his pattern of barreling towards</span>
</p><p>
  <span>wherever his stream of consciousness took him, he immediately headed into the kitchen, flinging his legs beneath him like a newborn baby cow. He opened the refrigerator in search of whatever leftovers he could manage to find, but when he looked down, he couldn’t recognize anything inside at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was jarring enough to knock him out of his trance, and he stood there puzzled for a solid 48 seconds before finally coming to a conclusion. Logically, he guessed that his sister had stopped by at some point during the day to stock it for him because he was notorious for forgetting to buy groceries, and he made a mental note to thank her later as soon as he could figure out what was inside all of the different containers. They weren’t her usual glass and snap reusables, but maybe she was tired of having to ask for hers back so she bought new ones just for him. More dishes for him, he frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he heard a cough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo jumped and turned around, holding in a scream that would have made him look less threatening to a burglar. Across the counter that separated the two rooms, he saw a man about his age standing in the middle of his living room in a t-shirt and boxers, wielding a toothbrush.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing here?!” Seungwoo demanded. He brandished the scallion in his hand as a weapon, ready to defend his home from the unwelcome but handsome and underdressed intruder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is my house!” he shouted. “What are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing here?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo froze and looked around at his surroundings. It certainly </span>
  <em>
    <span>felt</span>
  </em>
  <span> like his apartment, but upon further inspection, he noticed that all of his things were gone. His favorite brown leather sofa had been replaced with a simple gray futon that faced a much larger television screen than Seungwoo would have ever bought for himself, and the pictures of his family members on the walls were replaced with people he had never seen before. Someone had moved into his apartment while he was gone?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could fully register what was really going on, the stranger shoved the toothbrush he was holding back into his mouth and placed both hands on his hips, ready to scold him. Seungwoo gasped, finally realizing the mistake he had made before the other man could speak, and in his moment of shock, the onion in his hand toppled down onto the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His face burned a bright red as he squatted down quickly to scoop it up, praying the five second rule could save him, but luckily if there were any germs on the floor, surely they were too busy looking up at him and laughing to contaminate this man’s poor discarded vegetable. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry! This is your house!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it is my house,” he half laughed at him, but there was a note of distress to his voice like he was one wrong move away from hitting Seungwoo over the head with a frying pan for breaking into his apartment. Which was his right, he supposed, but Seungwoo really wished he wouldn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god, your onion,” Seungwoo cried out. He held the limp stalk in his hand sorrowfully and thought that perhaps the five second rule hadn’t been enough to make it seem like nothing happened to it. Because he broke it. He broke his onion. “I’m so sorry. Let me replace it. How much do onions cost? Oh god, I can’t even remember how much onions cost.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just an onion,” he grumbled as he walked into the kitchen and took it from him. He ran it under the faucet to get the dirt off and broke it off at the end that waved like a pitiful green flag. “Don’t worry about it. You’re not gonna rob me right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Seungwoo blinked. “No! I’m trying to give you money!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You broke into my apartment to give me money?” He raised his eyebrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Seungwoo huffed. “I didn’t break in! I used the door code so it’s technically just trespassing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The stranger scratched his head with the newly washed onion that neither one of them probably ever wanted to eat again. “That’s true, but why do you have my door code unless you’re trying to rob me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Seungwoo’s turn to have the onion pointed threateningly towards him, but this time it was pointed right for his neck. He took a step back and put his palms up for mercy. “I don’t have your door code, I used my door code. Why is your door code the same as my door code? Oh my god, are you one of those people who become obsessed with their neighbors and try to become them by assuming their identities? Oh my god, you are, aren’t you?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo grabbed his own collar in horror and backed away from the man who was surely going to try to kill him and steal his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The owner of the apartment swatted at him with the onion hard enough that the green part stung through his work shirt with a scowling pout. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I am not!</span>
  </em>
  <span> I don’t want to be you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why is your door code the same as my door code,” Seungwoo squeaked. He rubbed his arm where the man had whacked him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know!” He cried out, visibly flustered. “It’s been like that since I moved in! I don’t know how to change it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Seungwoo shouted back. “I don’t know how to change mine either!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lowered the onion and sighed. “Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did they set all the locks to the same number,” he wondered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If they did, that was lazy and negligent,” he said, somewhat relaxed. “So you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> robbing me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he said, feeling even more weary. “I just went to the wrong door. I think I live across the hall from you. At least, I hope I do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He eyed him suspiciously. “You can’t remember which side of the hall you live on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>tired, okay,” Seungwoo sighed, and then as the adrenaline from their first meeting finally died out, the embarrassment took over, and he straightened back up and laughed. “Uhhh, but I think I should get going… sorry about this… won’t happen again. Probably. Sorry, what was your name again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungsik,” he said. “And it’s fine! Maybe knock first next time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik wasn’t nearly as angry as he could have been (or should have been), and now that he was no longer smacking Seungwoo with a broken green onion stalk, he seemed kind of nice, but before Seungwoo had the chance to apologize again, he leaned over the sink and spit his toothpaste out into the basin. Hooked over, he rinsed his mouth out with the water from the faucet before sticking the toothbrush back in the corner of his mouth like it was just an after dinner toothpick, and Seungwoo found the action both unsettling and oddly charming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You hungry?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” he coughed. He broke away from his face and turned towards the refrigerator so that it wasn’t obvious that he had been staring. “No, I’m not hungry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You feral raided my fridge even though you’re not hungry,” Seungsik squinted. “Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> starving, and now that I can’t eat this onion anymore, I think I’m going to have to have something delivered. You like chicken? That’s probably what people usually eat, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo shook his head. “That’s ok, I should get out of here, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik shrugged. “Suit yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry for your onion,” he said, looking at the poor plant that he had destroyed. “And sorry for breaking into your apartment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s ok,” he laughed, waving him off. “Have a good night, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Seungwoo got out of the wrong apartment as fast he could. His hand shook as he punched the same door code into his own keypad before it opened with a gentle beep that reminded him that he was an idiot who couldn’t tell his left from his right. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is why I don’t fucking drive.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He frowned to himself before going into his warmer and quieter apartment. This one had his favorite couch and the pictures of his family on the walls. Seungsik couldn’t hit him with a root vegetable for breaking into his home by accident in there. He rubbed his arm idly even though it didn’t hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That was his name, right?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He would forget it soon, if he ever got over the shame. He rarely ever saw or spoke to his neighbors, and this one wouldn’t be any different, he figured. Plus, it was probably for the best because if he ever had to interact with him again, he would surely die from embarrassment. First impressions were important, and he had left one hell of a bad one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still pouting, Seungwoo headed for his own fridge and opened it to find a whopping grand total of nothing. He may have not had any leftovers or gifts from his sister, but he did have a couple of supplement pouches and a yogurt drink, so if he included them with the snacks he had earlier on the train, it probably counted as a meal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His stomach growled in protest. He looked down and frowned, patting his belly gently to apologize. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We’ll get you something nice to eat, buddy. How about pizza? You like pizza, right?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His stomach growled a second time, and he smacked it with a little more force. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’s</span>
  <em>
    <span> having chicken. </span>
  </em>
  <span>We’re</span>
  <em>
    <span> having pizza. I can’t emotionally handle that right now. Can’t you see I’m upset?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His stomach growled a third time, much louder than the first two. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I said no!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignoring his gut instinct, he took out his phone and pulled up the first delivery app he saw. Luckily there was a special for two pizzas and a coke from his favorite place, and that seemed to be enough to satisfy his demanding appetite. Even if his stomach changed its mind and protested again, it was just going to have to live with that because Seungwoo could not pass up a discount.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After placing his order, he hurried to the bathroom to shower and wash all the day sweat off of him, and then he changed into his favorite purple satin pajamas before the driver could get there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just when he thought he could finally relax, he remembered he was supposed to bring back a folder with him that he couldn’t remember if he actually made it into the city with or not, and his stomach dropped. In the worst case scenario, he could call in the morning and have someone fax it to him, but that meant he would have to go into the office on his day off, making it fifteen days of work…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t do it. His body couldn’t stand it anymore, and obviously his mind couldn’t either if one used his most recent exchange as a reference. He would rather get fired than go back into work without his well deserved and much needed break, but he also couldn’t do that because unfortunately, it happened to be really hard to switch careers when a person was trained to do one specific thing only. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His fate was up in the air. Either his paperwork was safe and sound in his briefcase or it was at the job site. The only way to know how he would have to spend the next day (or week) was to get up and check. He got up to grab his briefcase that doubled as a laptop bag and a snack transporter, and that was when he discovered to his horror that it hadn’t made it back into his apartment with him. Not just the folder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s knees buckled beneath him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did I leave it at the site? Did I leave it on the train? Think, Seungwoo, think!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t just a folder missing anymore. It was his laptop, his work tablet, his ID passes, and a shit ton of business cards that belonged to people he didn’t want to clog his contact list with but he probably needed to be able to get ahold of especially if he lost any of the other contents of that bag. All gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His stomach growled again, but before he could curse it for its terrible timing, he remembered where he last had it. At first he was so relieved he thought he could cry, but then he was so mortified, he thought he could cry for a much different reason. It wasn’t a lost cause at all because he was sure he had left it at the other apartment, but that was just as nerve wracking as it was comforting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was he supposed to do? He needed his bag to make sure he had everything for work, but at what cost? What little dignity he had left? Did it really have to be like this?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It did. It really did have to be like this, and there was nothing he could do about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sucked it up and marched through his apartment, out the door, and to his neighbor’s door, opting to knock this time. He wasn’t a complete caveman, you know. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungsik answered the door with a friendly smile that immediately dropped as soon as he saw him, making Seungwoo want to crawl in a hole and die, but it was immediately replaced by a new friendlier smile once he registered who it was. “Oh! I thought you were the food.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” he said, relaxing a little because he too would have been disappointed if he was only teased with the promise of his dinner. “Sorry to bother you again, but I think I left something I need in here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik stared back at him, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My bag thing,” he clarified, and used his hands to try to explain what it was with a vague shape. “It’s like a laptop bag but bigger, kind of. I was hoping I left it here…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Let me go check!” Seungsik turned around to search for it. The door closed behind him without an invitation so Seungwoo waited patiently outside while Seungsik looked. He wrung his hands together as a minute or two passed with the creeping worry in the back of his mind that it wasn’t in there at all until the door again and he saw it slung over Seungsik’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you so much,” he said as Seungsik handed it to him. “I was so worried I left it on the train.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik sucked his teeth. “Oh man, that would have been terrible! No, it was safe in here next to the refrigerator.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo winced. “Wow, I really did go full caveman in there didn’t I? I’m so sorry, I’m just not myself tonight…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed and waved him off. “Stop saying sorry! You didn’t do anything wrong. Did you eat yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Seungwoo could lie, two different delivery drivers came down the hall together, headed towards their apartments with bundles of food in their arms. Pizza at one door and chicken at the other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s for me,” Seungwoo said as the driver with the pizza boxes knocked on his door directly behind him. He looked at him suspiciously like Seungwoo was trying to swipe some random person’s food even though Seungwoo was, in fact, the one who ordered it, and the chicken delivery guy was also glaring at him too because he was standing in his way. Seungwoo stepped to the side and mumbled a quick apology, earning an amused chuckle from Seungsik who had spent an awful lot of time giggling at him for one night, in Seungwoo’s opinion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, this is for this address,” the pizza delivery guy said awkwardly, pointing towards Seungwoo’s door. “But we’re still taking orders for the next hour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no, that’s my apartment,” he laughed. He stretched out his hands to take the food off of his hands, but the driver didn’t hand it over. “Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes shifted back and forth between the door and Seungwoo, not sure what he was supposed to do. It wasn’t often that people tried to steal food like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really! It’s my place,” Seungwoo insisted. He walked over to his door and punched in the code that apparently everyone in the building had, and it unlocked with a problem, but the driver didn’t budge regardless. Seungwoo blinked. “What’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m supposed to make a delivery,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo paused for a few seconds as the two of them stared at each other at an impasse. “Alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He went inside his own apartment and closed the door behind him and waited. A few moments later there was a polite knock on his door. He opened it to find the same pizza delivery guy waiting with his two boxes of pizza and his coke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How much was that again,” Seungwoo asked, biting back the urge to scream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, the other guy went ahead and paid for it, you’re good,” he said with a shrug. “Here you go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blinked again, the urge to scream bubbling back up in his throat. “Then why didn’t you let– thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have a nice night!” He said, practically shoving the food into Seungwoo’s arms. He spun on his heel and left like the building was on fire, and Seungwoo stood in the doorway with his pizza, stunned. Seungwoo peeked his head out into the hall and saw that both Seungsik and the chicken guy were gone as well. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“What the fuck is happening to me?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He set his briefcase and his food down in his identical kitchen before heading back to Seungsik’s apartment to physically fight him for paying for his food while Seungwoo was in the middle of his second most embarrassing situation of the night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knocked again, and Seungsik answered, and as soon as he opened the door, the smell of piping hot fried chicken spilled out, and it made his head spin with envy. He prayed his traitor stomach could keep quiet long enough for him to make it back to the safety of his own home where his pizzas waited for him, but he couldn’t count on it when he could practically smell how crunchy it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeees?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungsik said, slouching casually against the doorframe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You paid for my pizza,” he said. “Why would you do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Personal amusement.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this funny to you,” Seungwoo asked with his hands on his hips, mirroring the way Seungsik had prepared to scold him earlier except without a toothbrush or an onion to wave around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little bit,” he said, biting back a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why,” he almost shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you’re hungry and deranged, and I don’t have any hobbies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hung his head and laughed. “Alright, well, thanks, but let me pay you back for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think so,” he said, kind of cutely if Seungwoo had to describe what kind of annoying he was being.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, then let me buy your chicken,” he insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He exhaled sharply through his nose. “What about the onion?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What onion?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” he covered his face. “I really am losing it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just kidding,” Seungsik laughed. “But no, I don’t want your money.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then what do you want,” he asked, exhausted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik’s eyes darted between him and the door behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Could I have a slice,” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Seungwoo said. “Let me go get the box.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bring both of them over,” he called out as Seungwoo hurried back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Both?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My poor onion!” Seungsik cried out loud enough he could have signaled one of their other neighbors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked over his shoulder and glared. “Really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hurry up, I’m starving,” he whined, rubbing his stomach. “A strange man broke into my apartment and broke my onion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was fine! I followed the five second rule! And I did not break in! We established this!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik slumped against the frame with his hand over his stomach like he hadn’t eaten in days. It was a sight that, for some reason, upset Seungwoo more than any of the other trauma he had endured within the last hour had, and it overrode his own need for food. “Hurry!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just wait right there,” he said before running off. He couldn’t let the poor guy starve! He imagined the horror of Seungsik’s cheeks deflating, and his heart ached. Seungwoo couldn’t let that happen, not one bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he returned with everything he had ordered for himself, his neighbor’s door was shut again with Seungsik nowhere in sight. He almost dropped both boxes on the floor in frustration, but he held it together, if only to ready himself to throw it at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s fucking with me, isn’t he,” Seungwoo said to himself with his mouth in a thin line.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Normally he was the type of person to play tricks, but he had worn himself down enough in those dreadful two weeks that he had become the target for mischief. That was another thing Seungwoo wouldn't let happen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was determined that as soon as Seungsik opened the door, he was going to give him a piece of his mind. A piece he surely wouldn’t forget.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Excuses to Stay</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo and Seungsik get along surprisingly well considering how they met.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter Reposted Aug 7.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungwoo braced himself for more mischief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knocked on his neighbor’s door and expected him to open it and laugh at him before slamming it right in his face and running off with his food, but instead he heard a muffled voice tell him to come in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He actually wasn’t confident that that was what Seungsik said, but he punched their shared code in anyway because after all, how much more humiliated could he possibly get in one night no matter what he did. He already </span>
  <em>
    <span>broke in. </span>
  </em>
  <span>At least that time he came bearing gifts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked in carefully, worried that he had misunderstood and was making a huge mistake and that Seungsik was going to think he was insane for coming in again on purpose that time, but when he got further into the apartment, he saw Seungsik on the floor arranging a couple of boxes of chicken and some of the containers from the fridge on a short, wide coffee table. If he wasn’t expecting </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he was expecting someone. At the very least, Seungwoo could pretend like he was just being helpful if he had completely misinterpreted the </span>
  <em>
    <span>bring both boxes over </span>
  </em>
  <span>order he had received.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, good,” he said, finally noticing that he was hovering over him awkwardly. “Everything’s still hot. I wasn’t sure if you were a radish, kimchi, or bean sprout kind of guy so I got out everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> eating,” he said. “What are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea,” he admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bring your food,” he waved him over. “I ordered enough chicken in case you raided my fridge by accident again tomorrow, but it’s better fresh, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to do that again,” Seungwoo almost whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed, not really listening to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really!” He insisted. He walked over and set the boxes down across from the chicken so he could defend himself. “I’ve just never been this tired before. I wouldn’t have even made that mistake if you knew how to change your door code!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t have made that mistake either if you knew how to change </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> door code,” he said, opening up the last container. Seungwoo opened his mouth to argue, but he wasn’t technically wrong. “But I don’t think it was a mistake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t,” he half asked, curious as to whatever meaning he had behind it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik shook his head. “Now we both have chicken and pizza and someone to eat with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess you have a point,” Seungwoo sat down. His hands moved carefully towards the food between them, but his eyes were focused on Seungsik. He waited for Seungsik to laugh at him and chase him off, but he seemed content with Seungwoo staying and sharing a meal with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hadn’t planned to do more than drop off a couple of slices and go home, but he had lost his ability to decline offers even if they felt like traps. Exhaustion meant complacency, but at least he had food. And someone to eat with, he guessed. Although, that was something he never considered that he was missing out on until then, and as it turned out, he preferred it this way a little too much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It only took about fifteen minutes of awkward silence for the two of them to get comfortable around each other enough to act more like old friends catching up after a long period apart than complete strangers with an unfortunate first meeting. It helped that they both liked to talk, and with Seungwoo getting some of his strength back, he was feeling extra chatty, and he was sure it had something to do with the way Seungsik asked too many questions without being intrusive. It was like he actually wanted to know more about him in a way that didn’t make him feel like he was being held underneath a microscope.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what do you do,” Seungsik asked before pinching off a piece of skin from the chicken thigh in his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo leaned back with his palm on the floor behind him and sighed, his full belly poking out in all its glory. He sat up quickly to hide it, suddenly ashamed of himself for how comfortable he actually was in somebody else’s home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think I do?” Seungwoo asked, feeling playful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed and popped the piece of breading into his mouth and chewed as he thought. “You could be a model.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo threw his head back and laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungsik said lightly. “Did I guess wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re funny,” he said, amused. “But wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” he thought. “A bartender?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I have bartender vibes,” he asked, raising an eyebrow. He pictured himself slinging bottles for a heavy crowd, not sure that the environment suited him, but then he thought about what it would be like to pour a bottle of bourbon slowly into a glass in a white button up shirt and black slacks for someone he liked under a soft amber light. Maybe he could see it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m trying to guess what kind of job a pretty person with no time to buy food has,” Seungsik said before his face flushed slightly. He laughed at himself and smiled until his eyes turned into happy crescent moons. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to call you pretty. You just have a face that looks like someone who gets paid to be looked at, is all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like a model,” Seungwoo asked, furrowing his brow to look serious and ignoring the growing flutter in his stomach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” he said, his voice trailing off. “Or something like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo cleared his throat and sat back up, avoiding eye contact with him while the weird feeling he had in his stomach lingered. “I think the people who see me at work don’t care what I look like as long as I don’t make them do anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A dentist?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo let out a bright laugh that people often teased him for sounding too much like a windshield wiper. “No, I’m not a dentist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I give up,” he said. “What do you do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I work for the Department of Transportation,” he sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik blinked, definitely not expecting him to say a government job. “Like for traffic?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he said. He pulled himself out a new slice of pizza, picking off the hot peppers he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did not </span>
  </em>
  <span>ask for and dropping them back into the box. “Well, I work with highway infrastructure. That’s why I was out of it tonight. We’ve been working on putting up a new expressway to handle traffic in and out of the city, and I’ve been going back and forth to the build site every day for the last two weeks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How far out do you have to go,” he asked, frowning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The last spot was about a two hour train ride out, not including the taxi ride from the station there since I don’t drive,” Seungwoo sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re making you go that far every day?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded. “Every day for fourteen days.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit,” Seungsik said. “No wonder you’re like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo glared at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>tired</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Seungsik clarified, and Seungwoo relaxed. “They can’t at least stick you in a hotel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could technically stay in one, but I would have to pay for each night out of pocket and wait to get a partial reimbursement check at the end of next month since it’s not an essential business expense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who can afford that,” he said idly. Seungwoo nodded. “That can’t be safe though, can it? Or legal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shrugged. “It’s not always like this. I’m actually done as soon as I finish this last bit of paperwork, and then I get a week off while the department that contracts and oversees construction takes over. Sorry, this is all probably really boring. I didn’t mean to get that much into it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s not boring at all,” Seungsik said. “You never think about people being behind the roads because it feels like they’ve always been there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hummed and nodded. “That’s true. So tell me, do you have a job that people don’t think about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only when they don’t need me,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ahh, should I guess then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he said. “I want to see what you think I do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You already took the most obvious answer,” Seungwoo sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A bartender?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, a model,” he said, feeling cheeky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik pulled the collar of his shirt over his face and giggled into it, turned into a cute puddle of shyness by the very same stunt he himself had pulled just a few moments before. So much for being smooth, if that’s what they were doing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t do this to me in my own house,” he cried out, his voice muffled by the fabric.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not,” Seungwoo asked, grinning like a fool from watching him squirm over a little harmless joke while a warmness grew inside himself that could have only been from the fact that he was finally full.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because it’s strange,” he whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it? Alright, let me try again,” he said. “Are you a dentist?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik finally came back to his senses and brushed himself off. “Nope, I’m not a dentist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hummed and leaned forward, placing his elbows on the coffee table. “Let me think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched him carefully as he pretended to summon the answer from the back of his mind, taking the chance to take clues from the way Seungsik looked back at him. For what exactly? He wasn’t sure if it was a career he was hunting for in his expression or something else entirely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could be a bartender too,” Seungwoo guessed, earning a pleasant head shake. “What? People look for bartenders only when they need them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a bartender,” he scrunched his nose. “Quit stealing my answers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo took a few moments again to think, letting the tension of waiting drive Seungik crazy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Good. He deserves a taste of his own medicine.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“A package delivery person,” he said finally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A what?” He laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a person people don’t think about until they need them,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik shook his head. “Nope, I don’t deliver packages.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me then,” he said, still studying him, but this time he wasn’t thinking about jobs that people didn’t think about. He was thinking about him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked away, unsettled by the staring and focused his attention on closing the remaining open containers now that the two of them had finished eating. “I’m an emergency services dispatcher.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like for the police?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik nodded. “And the fire department, the paramedics, and animal control.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Animal control?” He laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you wouldn’t believe how many wild boar calls we get in this city,” he said. “You’d think the smell of all the pork belly places around here would chase them off, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any other wild animals?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just the drunk uncles,” Seungsik sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sucked his teeth. “I bet you get a lot of those.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Every day,” he said, tired. He sounded just as tired as Seungwoo felt when he first barged into the wrong apartment. It was like the whole world was made up of tired people, and this one just didn’t want to eat a meal alone, but then again it must have been lonely when the only people he ever spoke to were always in distress. Seungwoo had been in distress when they met in his own way, and Seungsik had fixed it like it was second nature. Because for him it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then he smiled like he knew Seungwoo was thinking too deeply about him and decided to joke instead. “I hope that when I’m their age, I remember how to hold my alcohol.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t look like someone who can handle it now,” Seungwoo teased. He noticed the flush to Seungsik’s cheeks every time he pointed something out about him, and he wondered if that meant that he was someone who wasn’t used to being noticed so much or if he was someone who just liked the attention. He deserved to be noticed by someone all the time as much as he wanted or all the attention he wanted, but that was just Seungwoo’s humble opinion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo shook himself, not sure where that thought came from, but he needed to remind himself not to get carried away by his own teasing because all it was was just teasing. Even though he wasn’t wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a challenge,” he asked, sticking his chest out with pride.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It might be,” Seungwoo said. He knew he was baiting him, but damn it after two weeks, if he wanted to trick his neighbor into sharing a beer with him, then that was his right. All Seungsik had to do was say no once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik scrunched up his face and groaned in agony. “If I would have known I was going to have to prove myself tonight, I would have ordered beer or soju too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have both at my place,” he offered. He hoped that Seungsik would encourage him to get it, that was, if he wasn’t overstaying his welcome.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik clapped his hands and bounced his shoulders, excited. “Sounds good to me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go get it then,” he said, standing up. “What do you like more?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beer today,” Seungsik considered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beer it is,” Seungwoo said with a nod.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hurried to his apartment and dug the case out of the fridge, but he felt self conscious about going back. Had he been there too long? Maybe Seungsik was just too polite to tell him to leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he wanted to get Seungsik out of it, he would have to go back over there empty handed and tell him he changed his mind, but what if he took </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> the wrong way? He did pay for like four days worth of food for the two of them, and Seungwoo did destroy his onion, so he did owe him…</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is it so wrong to want to have a beer with a friend after a meal? Not quite friends yet, but we could be! And what better way to get close than by sharing a drink or two? If my dad knew that I had let someone buy me dinner and didn’t share a beer with them, he would be ashamed. I am just being a good neighbor.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>After talking himself into going back over, he noticed a slipper wedged in the doorway for him to keep the door ajar. He could have let himself back in without it, but the gesture helped him relax a little more and took care of his worries. Clearly he wasn’t overstaying his welcome if Seungsik left him a slipper. Or something like that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he made his way back into the apartment, he found Seungsik cleaning up their dinner mess and putting things in smaller containers to make room for the new boxes. Seungwoo sat the case of beer down and moved immediately to the sink where he washed out the containers they had cleaned out as well as the cups and utensils.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to do those,” Seungsik said with a chuckle. “I’m used to cleaning up after my friends when they’re here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to help,” he said, ignoring him. “And I don’t know how you like to organize your fridge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I put the leftover pizza in one box on the top shelf so that it won’t go bad and got rid of the peppers,” he said, content with Seungwoo helping after all. “Make sure you take it back with you so you have it tomorrow for lunch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” he smiled to himself. “Can I ask you a question real quick?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What year were you born?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he laughed, expecting something more serious. “‘95. You?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘94,” Seungwoo said, finding the fact that he was just a little bit younger endearing. He seemed like someone Seungwoo could take care of, but he had been trying very hard to take care of him in return. He had him fooled for a moment, he had to admit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah!” He said, pleased. “I’m the oldest of my friend group, so that’s a nice change.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” he said. “But I’m fine with it if you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am,” Seungsik said quietly, taking a little too long to snap the lid on the last container. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo cleared his throat, feeling nervous for some reason. He scrubbed at a sauce stain on a plate with the dish sponge while he tried to gather his thoughts. “You should get a head start while I finish these.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How is that fair,” he laughed, relaxing again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m already a little delirious so I need you to catch up with me,” Seungwoo joked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How many beers would it take to catch up to fourteen days of transportation logisticsing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Transportation logisticsing?” Seungwoo wheezed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he said. “Listen, I’m not saying your job is boring, but it’s a little ambiguous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That it is,” he said, pointing a spoon at him. “You’ve got me there. And I think at least two.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least two,” he repeated, in disbelief. “What, am I supposed to stand here and chug them while you clean my kitchen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be impressive,” Seungwoo said. “But no, just do what you like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The plan was not to clean Seungsik’s kitchen, but the longer Seungwoo spent scrubbing things he wouldn’t bother scrubbing in his own apartment, the more time he had with him, and for someone who had so desperately wanted to go home only a couple hours before, he really was doing everything he could to not go back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While he scrubbed away the soap residue buildup in the inside of the sink basin, Seungsik hopped up on his counter and cracked open one of the cans, the familiar pop and hiss of the tab making Seungwoo’s mouth water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for the beer,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for the food,” Seungwoo parroted back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed. “I’m surprised you handed your pizza over like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were sharing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you were about to give me the box and run,” he pointed out. Seungwoo felt a pang in his stomach because that was exactly what had happened, and he thought he had gotten away with it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not myself right now,” he said, focusing on the tile grout.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t have teased you so much,” Seungsik said. “I knew you were tired, but I didn’t realize you were having a hard time at work tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean it’s not so bad,” he said as he pumped a drop of soap into his palm. “And you wouldn’t have known if I didn’t tell you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s true,” Seungsik said. “So why did you tell me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You seem like someone I can tell things too,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he said with a smile. “Then tell me, why are you cleaning my kitchen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo froze and looked over his shoulder. “Uhh… I don’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we go into the living room,” he asked without pushing for an actual explanation. “Not that I don’t love watching you clean grout, but this spot isn’t great for my back, and leaving you alone in here feels like something I’m not supposed to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo dropped the scrubbing brush he had in his hand into the drain board and bent his torso over the sink to let out a tired sigh. “Yeah, right, good idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His own body ached from standing around all day so the moment he dropped down on the sofa, his whole world changed. Seungsik set the case down on the table and plopped down next to him and passed him a beer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Seungwoo said. He popped up the tab and slurped the excess foam off the top before it could spill. “This couch is amazing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s so comfortable,” he said, patting the cushion with his free hand like it was a dog and not a futon. “I didn’t expect it to sit like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right?” Seungsik said, pleased. “It doesn't look like much, but that’s just because the frame is so small. Honestly this thing even sleeps better than my own bed sometimes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo bounced slightly to test it out, and it didn’t even squeak. “Wow, it might even be better than mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you ever need someone to help you pick out an amazing, deceptively comfortable couch, I’m your guy,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo swallowed down the warmth that continued to grow in his stomach, first with the beer in his hand and second with a little harmless banter that probably could have been considered flirting if one squinted. “Do you want to get lost in IKEA together?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik coughed, almost choking on his drink in surprise which was enough to half amuse Seungwoo and half make him doubt himself for joking like that with someone he had just met, but he didn’t seem too upset about it considering that he didn’t chuck his drink at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t there arrows on the floor so that that doesn’t happen,” he asked, turning to face him with his arm over the back of the couch, using his fist to prop up his head that had become heavier with just his second drink. So much for his alleged tolerance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We won’t be looking at the floor,” Seungwoo said, giving his eyebrows a few mischievous raises.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does that mean?” He said with a laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It means you’re supposed to help me pick out a new couch,” he reminded him with a playful grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh right,” he said. “You need a new couch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just like yours,” Seungwoo said, patting the space between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik shuffled in his seat and wrinkled his nose. “No, it can’t be as good as mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, are you that competitive?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hung his head and smiled. “Ah, no not really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo squinted and craned his neck towards him, waiting for an explanation. But he was nice from that angle, wasn’t he? From there, he could better see the soft curve of his nose and the natural width of his mouth when it wasn’t gathered into a pout and how his lips seemed both weighted and full but at the same time light as air— all very normal things to consider while waiting to find out the reason why two people couldn’t own the same couch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why,” Seungsik asked lightly, swatting at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I’m curious, and you won’t look at me,” he said simply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve met my eye contact quota for the day,” he teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I see,” Seungwoo said, covering his own eyes with his hand. “Is that better?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Much better,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So why can’t I have a couch as good as yours,” he asked, still covering himself up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because then you won’t have a reason to sit on mine anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo felt the nagging warmth rise too quickly from his chest up his neck and into his cheeks and ears, completely catching him off guard. His hand slid off of his face and dropped into a fist in his lap as he dug his nails into his palm to keep himself from reacting too dramatically.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His first instinct was to scream and throw himself on the floor and give in to the extreme impulse he had to turn himself into an earthworm, but he couldn’t very well react like that in front of another human, could he? But that was just the beer, wasn’t it, and the exhaustion, of course, that made them both a little ridiculous. Seungsik for saying something like that and Seungwoo for liking it so much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, I’ll settle for a mediocre couch if that’s what you want,” he said, scrambling for a decent thought that wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>become an earthworm.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed, pleased. “I think you should let me replace your whole apartment with mediocre furniture.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about the bookshelf my mom gave me,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can keep that,” he considered. “Mom’s taste trumps neighbor’s taste.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She got it from IKEA,” Seungwoo laughed, and Seungsik mirrored his giggle as he swatted at him again, letting the tips of his fingers snag his clothes, a little tipsy it seemed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then we’ll just get everything from that collection,” he said. “Perfect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are we supposed to get lost if you already have a plan,” Seungwoo complained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look like someone I could find a reason to get lost with, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hummed softly, feeling particularly shy, but he couldn’t tell if Seungsik was the kind of person who said these things for fun or not, so he tried to not let it affect him too much. He decided that he would have to take some extra time to get to know him and his brand of humor one day if they were to become friends for his own sake. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Friends</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t that he didn’t have friends of his own already. He had a lot actually. It was hard to connect with people he met at work because most of his coworkers were much older than him and their schedules didn’t allow for the kind of routine where one could find a work family, but he had at least maintained most of his college friendships, and they made him happy enough that he rarely ever considered finding more— until that moment where he wanted one new friend in particular. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How did people make friends with people they didn’t have classes or group projects with? How did they find friends who weren’t absorbed into their ever rotating and evolving social circles? He supposed, they asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to hang out sometime?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like at IKEA?” Seungsik asked, wide-eyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed. “Not unless you want to go to IKEA.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you walk enough?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably,” Seungwoo sighed before resting his head on the back of the sofa. Honestly, if he had to choose anything to do together, it wouldn’t have been a trip to IKEA. Yet, at least. He winced at himself for the new stray thought and blinked it away before Seungsik could notice. “You don’t even want to know what the step tracker on my phone looks like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed. “Would you rather sit somewhere for too long? Like a movie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you sit enough,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik mimicked the action by dropping his head down on the sofa and sighed. “You’re right. I do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is nice though, isn’t it,” Seungwoo pointed out. “I’m sitting, and you’re…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could be standing,” he chimed in. “If I wanted to be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, see, you have the freedom to stand as much as you want, and if you feel like doing a couple laps around your apartment, I swear I’ll cover for you if the people on the floor below us complain,” he teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s good to know you’ve got my back,” he laughed. “But it’s too late for laps, I think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Seungwoo said. He reached for his phone. “What time is it, anyway?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last word barely left his throat before the screech escaped as he saw the 1:00 on his screen staring back at him. He was sure it had been around 9 p.m. when he first barged into the wrong apartment, and if that was true, they had spent the whole night together when he had only been invited for dinner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What time is it?” Seungsik asked, craning his neck to see and leaning just a little too close. Seungwoo pretended like he didn’t notice that he smelled nice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Time for me to get out of here probably,” he muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik frowned. “Why? Is something wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s one in the morning already,” Seungwoo said, apologetic. “I didn’t realize I had moved in like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he laughed. “I didn’t realize it was getting late, but this was fun, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you wanna call it here and continue making plans for sitting and standing later,” Seungwoo asked. He knew the hope in his own voice was pathetic, but frankly, he didn’t care. He wanted to see him again after he had had a full night’s sleep and wasn’t a little out of it. He wanted to pay him back for the meal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded. “We could do that, if you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m off tomorrow,” he offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik scrunched his nose again, something he did whenever he was about to find a way to tease him. “Tomorrow’s Monday. Some of us have jobs to go to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” He cried out and laughed at himself in embarrassment. “I forgot what day it was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe if you ever bothered to go to work, you would have known,” he teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo groaned. “Please, I’m sensitive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” he said, not very sorry at all. “Maybe if you weren’t a workaholic, you’d know what a weekend looked like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you could show me,” he said. “Now that I have a very long weekend coming up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe your job schedule doesn’t suck so much after all…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Be careful what you wish for,” Seungwoo sighed. A wave of exhaustion hit that made him want to curl up on the sofa with his head on… He sat up. “I guess I should let you get some sleep, shouldn’t I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not tired,” he insisted like a child refusing to acknowledge his bedtime.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo stood up and stretched with a loud yawn. “Maybe I should go let me get some sleep then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he relented with a pout. “You should get some sleep and go enjoy your week long weekend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, I think I will,” he said, smiling and finishing his stretch. “Try not to think about me lying around all day while you have to work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed brightly. “You’re just a big cat, aren’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes,” he admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That explains why you let yourself in, huh,” he teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s face dropped as his arms fell to his sides. “You know what, you are very, very mean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I?” He chirped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said. “You’re too nice, actually. You should have called the police on me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And talk to one of my coworkers on purpose? Can you imagine how weird tomorrow would be if I had to explain what happened to the other dispatchers?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s mouth fell agape. “Is that really why you didn’t call the police on me?! Work gossip?! Oh my god, what if something bad happens to you one day, and you don’t call for help?! That’s not safe! Please call the police when people break into your apartment!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just kidding,” he giggled as he got up to his feet. He moved his arms like he meant to put his hands on him, but he held back. “I didn’t call the police because you weren’t trying to rob me, or uhh murder me, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo huffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you just get worried about me,” he added, teasing him some more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo closed his eyes and shook his head. “Only the normal amount.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, ok,” he said, not really believing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was how the conversation finally faded out after hours of filling each other in with all the information they could absorb. Like sponges, they were eager to learn as much as they could. Seungwoo learned more about Seungsik in just a handful of hours than he had learned about most people after years of knowing them including everything there was to know about his favorite foods, his hobbies, his family, where he had been, and where he wanted to go. To learn who he was, that was going to take a little more time, and he was undoubtedly dying to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Regretfully, Seungwoo left and returned to his apartment with the very same door code and wondered if it was a good time to change it (not that he thought Seungsik would rob him, but just in case someone else in the building felt like going on a spree). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A part of him wanted to scream and bang his head against the wall for being stupid enough to run into the wrong apartment like that, but it had been a good thing, hadn’t it? At least it had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Nothing bad happened. Seungwoo smiled to himself. Nothing bad happened at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that smile was immediately wiped off his face the moment he passed by the full length mirror in his bedroom. He saw in the reflection that he was, in fact, still wearing his favorite purple satin pajamas, which meant that, he had, in fact, spent the whole night at a stranger’s apartment in those very same pajamas instead of something much more presentable. He held his wrists up to his temples and groaned in agony. So much for a better second impression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A devastated and humiliated Seungwoo plunged himself onto his regretfully inadequate bed in comparison to Seungsik’s unbelievably comfortable couch, but it felt so good to be in a bed again that he didn’t care if it wasn’t as comfortable as his couch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t care if he had to sleep on a pile of firewood if it meant that it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> pile of firewood. His bed outdid any hotel or inn in the country, and that’s all there was to it, but he couldn’t help but feel that it was too big for him to sleep in alone. His aching body begged to be compressed, and the widespread mattress wasn’t quite cutting it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To solve this problem, he got up and dug in his closet to retrieve all of his extra blankets he normally saved for the winter or for when he needed to turn himself into a snoorrito (snoo-burrito) and piled them up onto the bed. He made a warm and snug nest for himself to sleep in, and he slept too deeply, dreaming of someone without a face who made him feel more like home than his own bed did.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Love Pains</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo experiences love pains and makes plans for the evening.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was going to wait a bit to post this, but we’ve got some rain coming so I don’t know if I’ll lose phone service</p><p>Please enjoy!</p><p>Chapter Reuploaded Aug. 7</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>At some point in the next afternoon, Seungwoo awoke in a tangle of bedsheets that threatened to hold him down like roots until the overgrowth (or extra pillows) completely buried him beneath the surface until he became the earthworm he was born to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Seungwoo wasn’t an earthworm, he was a human being, and he was a human being who desperately needed a glass of water after sleeping on his back for too many hours with a beer-parched throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He forced himself up and let his jelly legs lead him into the kitchen where he hung his head below the faucet and caught the water in his mouth like someone who didn’t own any cups. The cold water hit his dry throat too fast, almost making him choke, but it was still exactly what he needed so early in the morning. Although, something about the action gave him a strange sense of deja vu even though he was sure he hadn’t actually ever done it before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did I do that,” he asked himself as he wiped the excess water off of his mouth with the back of his hand. Sleeping too long must have activated his primal instincts, but rather than getting to the bottom of his faucet drinking urges, he concerned himself with satisfying a different, much more pressing instinct. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His need to shove food in his mouth with his bare hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened his fridge in hopes of curbing his ravaging appetite to find it just as barren as it was the night before minus the case of beer that he and…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A wave of nerves hit him, and he immediately squatted down into a full crouch on the ground. He steadied himself by clutching onto the refrigerator door handle because he was sure he was about to topple over, but once he took a few deep breaths, he regained control of his wobbly legs. The unfamiliar sensation went straight to his chest and stomach, and his body reacted like it had been physically shocked, taking him completely by surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t still embarrassed, was he? It wasn’t that big of a deal. They even shared a meal together…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another wave came, and he let himself fall to the ground completely on his ass, still holding onto the refrigerator door handle. He wasn’t sure why he was being like this, but every time he thought about the night before, his whole body fought against him like he was going to come out of his skin. It wasn’t regret or shame, but it wasn’t something he was used to, and frankly he didn’t like it. He knew he had to get a grip, but he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do to make himself feel normal again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was he so unsettled about?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After grabbing the yogurt drink off of the shelf and closing the door, he sat up and walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch. He pulled his legs beneath him so he could sit more comfortably, but he didn’t feel very comfortable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo wasn’t the kind of person who liked to talk about what bothered him, but something might have been wrong with him, and he needed to find out what. He could have been sick, but he was scared if he googled his symptoms, he would fall into a fit of hypochondria so he had to look towards someone who wasn’t Web MD and not half as qualified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He needed to talk to someone who could bring him to his senses. He needed someone who could tell him he wasn’t dying of an incurable disease or just good old fashioned shame. He needed his college roommate and best friend. He needed Chan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo had to search through his recent messages to find him because he had no clue what new silly contact name Chan had assigned to himself, but he was too stressed to look at more than the familiar stream of emojis underneath the name that he had sent two weeks before. He sent a quick text, hoping he wouldn’t take forever to reply because even though they were close, they were clearly also the kind of friends who could comfortably go weeks without an update.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo:</b>
  <span> hey are you busy</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan:</b>
  <span> no i’m just at work</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo:</b>
  <span> oh good i have a problem </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan:</b>
  <span> 👀 did you try prep h</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo:</b>
  <span> NOT THAT KIND OF PROBLEM</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan:</b>
  <span> oh haha my bad</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo:</b>
  <span> i think i’m getting sick</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan:</b>
  <span> what’s wrong?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo:</b>
  <span> my legs keep going out and my chest keeps getting tight and im kinda dizzy and like i can’t tell if i’m dying or if i need to like report a gas leak</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan:</b>
  <span> you faintin bro?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo:</b>
  <span> no i’m fine but like… not fine… you know what i mean?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan:</b>
  <span> no i don’t but sure (:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo:</b>
  <span> … </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: maybe you’re just tired </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo:</b>
  <span> yeah maybe</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan:</b>
  <span> hmmmmmm</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo:</b>
  <span> what</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan:</b>
  <span> idk you just arent the kind of person who *gets* tired do you need to go to the hospital or smth</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: NOOO im fine its just ever since last night ive been feeling kinda weird and i guess i got scared for a minute but i feel better now lol thanks</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: what happened last night 👀 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: aha dont worry about it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: omg hold on let me go find a reason to go outside so i can call you</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: NO ITS NOT BIG DEAL i just accidentally spent the night with my neighbor</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: ????????</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: no not like that i mean i accidentally went into his apartment instead of mine and i stayed over for dinner</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: bro that’s kinda weird</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: he offered… and i didnt have any food</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: so why didn’t you order some omg do u need money</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: no i did order some</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: then why did you stay over if you had your own</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: he took my food</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: ????????????</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: well like he paid for it when it came and then told me he wanted it so i gave it to him and we both ate it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: i want to understand i really do</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: listen it makes sense because i had to make up for breaking his onion</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: his wHAT</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: the long green thing you eat i broke it but yeah that’s all</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: he took your food and then invited you over to eat it with him because you “broke his onion”</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: yeah see no big deal</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: so some guy bought you dinner after you broke into his house 🤔 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: he didn’t buy me dinner he bought MY dinner there’s a difference</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: uh huh</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: and i didn’t break in i used the door code</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: why do you have his door code</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: because it’s the same as my door code</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: YOU HAVE COUPLE DOORS? </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: nO omg please</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: haha you have matching door codes with your neighbor who bought you food </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: ima need you to focus on whats important here and that’s my failing health</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: oh right what’s it feel like right now</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: like my chest is on fire</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: was it something you ate? maybe you got heartburn</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: just pizza and chicken</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: pizza AND chicken?? big spender…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: it’s because we both ordered our own food SEPARATELY </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: that he paid for</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: why are you so hung up on this</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: because it amuses me but go on what else</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: my head is spinning and it’s hard to breathe and i feel like i’m going to fall over any moment now</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: and this started last night?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: more so after i woke up tbh</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: hmmmmmm</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: ?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: if i didnt know any better… i’d say you’ve for yourself a little crush &gt;:3</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: … i’m so glad you didnt go to medical school</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: hehehe theungwoonie wanths a kith from mithter money bagths</span>
</p><p><b>Seungwoo: </b><span>why are you TYPING WITH A LISP</span> <span>DONT YOU HAVE WORK TO DO</span></p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: hehehehehehehe cant get fired when love is in the air</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: that’s not true and i’m not talking to you anymore</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>WAIT I HAVE A QUESTION</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>… what</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>ok 1-10 whats he look like</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>c:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: omg get it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>it’s not even like that</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>haha whatever you say go brush your teeth pizza breath oh btw let’s hang out later your treat</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: idk i’ll see how i’m feeling since i am on the brink of death you know</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: okey dokey try not to keel over on the carpet tho you won’t be able to get your deposit back</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: why would i need my deposit? i’ll be dead</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: some of us need to live, snoo</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: do you think i put you in my will?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: if you were my real best friend you would have :(</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: omg bye</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: love u c:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: …. love you too</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo set his phone down on the cushion and rubbed his eyes. He did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> have a crush, and Chan was an idiot, but it was his own fault for seeking advice from someone whose brain was part sweet potato. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, he most definitely wasn’t dying either because as long as he didn’t think about Seungsik, he felt close to fine, but he still wasn’t convinced that it was heartburn. Either way, worrying about it clearly wasn’t helping at all, and talking about it only made him look as ridiculous as he thought he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For his health, he was determined to not think about his body or his accidental break in any longer because this was his resting period, and it was a period he desperately needed so he could suffer through his job again. That was a real, tangible problem. Peculiar heartburn wasn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Chan dropped by, there was no way he was going to let him rest. It wasn’t his fault he had so much energy, but it probably had something to do with their age gap. Of only one year. Just like with Seungsik, but Seungsik didn’t make him feel tired. He made him feel–.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo doubled over uncomfortably in his seat as his stomach flipped. Maybe he overdid it the night before with all the heavy food and the beer because he wasn’t used to eating like that anymore. He laughed at himself once he realized the cause of his stomach problems. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course</span>
  </em>
  <span> that was it. He just made the mistake of living like a college student instead of respecting his delicate, working class insides.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As bothersome as his conversation with Chan was, it was enough to finish waking him up, and since he was kind of fed (if one could count the yogurt drink as food) and (pretty) sure he wasn’t probably having a stroke, his next move was to figure out what to do for the rest of the day. His first day off in </span>
  <em>
    <span>weeks, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and he had to spend it alone…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat back and frowned. It was only temporary because he would see his best friend later, and as far as the daytime was concerned, him being alone couldn’t be helped because everyone else had work. He could still bother his friends remotely, but Chan was out because he was on a mission to annoy him first apparently, and Seungsik was kind of too important to bother (if Seungwoo even had a way to bother him), but why would he do that? People didn’t just go around texting their neighbors because they were bored even if they had their numbers. That wasn’t normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He slouched down into the cushion with a pout. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> to bother him, though. He wanted to bother </span>
  <em>
    <span>him </span>
  </em>
  <span>specifically. Mostly because he wanted to see how he reacted when he was teased by someone more capable of mischief than Seungwoo was the night before, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> was only because Seungwoo liked the way his nose scrunched up when he was picked on and the way his mouth fell into a rectangle whenever he was slightly shocked like the way he looked when he found Seungwoo raiding his kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What a nice guy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo smiled to himself. He thought that he must have slept well based on how refreshed he felt (in comparison to how he was the night before when he understood the pain of getting run over by a cement mixer). Adding all of those extra pillows and blankets with the special touch of his secret lavender and chamomile aromatherapy oils surely did the trick because other than his mysterious illness, he felt like he was on top of the world. He made a note to recommend his life changing oil blend to Seungsik if he ever ran into him again because surely someone with such a high stress job must have occasionally had trouble sleeping. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A faint pang hit his chest that he quickly dismissed as indigestion, but he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the chance that someone as nice as Seungsik might not have only been losing sleep because of his job, but losing it because he might have been unhappy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, thinking about Seungsik’s state of mind or sleeping habits was presumptuous and out of place, but still, he worried about him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Are you happy?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s none of your business, Snoo,” he scolded himself quietly. He didn’t once indicate that he wasn’t so Seungwoo wasn’t sure why he was projecting this idea that Seungsik was unhappy onto him, but he needed to stop himself before his imagination got carried away.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But what if he isn’t?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, shut up,” he said as he dug the corners of his fists into his eyes until black spots formed</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Doesn’t he deserve to be?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo groaned. He stood up in frustration and marched himself across his living room to where his Playstation was and unplugged the headset, assuming it was charged, and put it over his ears to block out the noise coming from inside his own head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He refused to listen to himself anymore if he was going to fixate on things that were not only none of his business, but were completely out of his control such as his neighbor’s (who he barely knew) happiness or wellbeing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then again, it wasn’t unusual to care about another person’s happiness or well being especially if that person was as kind and as generous and well tempered as Seungsik was, he considered. In fact, it was a sign of his own humanity, if anything, that he cared so much for him as a good neighbor or even as a new friend should. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He by no means was being unreasonable by thinking about him so much as long as those thoughts were coated in well wishes and hopes for his happy future… There was nothing strange about it at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So why did he feel like he was committing some great sin by thinking about him, and why did he feel like he was quickly losing his mind?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Because I worked for fourteen days straight and a nice guy with a warm smile bought me chicken, and now I’ve convinced myself that he’s over there living his life in sad boy hours when I barely know him. I’m not crazy, I’m sated. It’s good to take care of people who take care of you too, and it’s good to worry about people who worry about you too. That’s what being human is. I’m just a little too grateful right now, is all.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo was so busy arguing with himself and doing his best to convince himself that his thoughts were not only warranted, but highly rational, that he didn’t even notice the fact that he was standing in the middle of his living room in his pajamas with his headset over his ears without either the actual console or television turned on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s time to pick a new career,” he said, pulling them off and setting them back down next to the controller that he probably should have plugged in before going to bed the night before if he actually wanted to play anything at all that day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave up on the idea of gaming in favor of catching up on a drama he had been meaning to watch for ages. The second the theme song took over his apartment, his mind was clear again and he could finally focus on what was really important: the rest his body so desperately needed (a point he continued to remind himself every time he let himself get carried away with thinking about this and that).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He went without a single thought for three whole hours, a personal record, when he heard a knock on the door signaling that Chan had finally dropped by to bother him after work like he had said he was going to. He chose to ignore the growing sense of guilt in his stomach for wasting the whole day in favor of letting himself enjoy the art of doing nothing, and if there was someone who could embrace the art of nothing with him, it was his best friend and partner in crime.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hopped up off the couch and almost skipped over in wide strides over his cold floor, a little excited. He wasn’t sure what kind of trouble they were going to get into together that night, but it was trouble he looked forward to nonetheless. Before he opened the door, he silently hoped that there wouldn’t be any more questions about their conversation earlier, but it seemed that Chan’s nosiness wasn’t something he was going to have to be concerned about for long because when he did open the door, he realized that it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> Chan waiting for him on the other side at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik had a nervous expression on his face that must have mirrored how Seungwoo looked when he brought over his pizza offering from the night before. He was in a work uniform that made him look stiff and over starched, and small gray shadows had formed under his eyes as well as two lines around his mouth that definitely weren’t dimples.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he said, his voice hoarse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Seungwoo repeated with a dry mouth. His heart still raced from the surprise of seeing him, and at first, he had wanted to go back and sit down for a few minutes to gather himself again, but once he </span>
  <em>
    <span>saw </span>
  </em>
  <span>him, that spike in his chest was replaced with a plummeting drop that sunk into his stomach. Seungsik stood there right at his doorstep without so much of an explanation, and something was not right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, this is weird, right,” he said, doubting himself in a way that was much different than the person who openly made fun of Seungwoo’s condition the night before. “You’re probably busy, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes glanced down at Seungwoo’s attire after he asked and his face softened into something more familiar and playful. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes, I look ridiculous. Go ahead and laugh at my jammies.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not busy,” he said, at that point stating the obvious, but Seungsik still needed to hear it. The younger relaxed slightly. “Why, is something wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, of course not,” he laughed weakly, and it was much different than what Seungwoo had already become accustomed to. It was like he was more so trying to convince himself than he was the person he was speaking to. “I just got off of work and decided to stop by.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s heart settled. Although he couldn’t put his finger on it, something definitely wasn’t right. He wasn’t sure why Seungsik had sought him out for help of all people, but as the kind of person who cared for people in a friendly and rational way, it was his responsibility to do whatever he could to make him feel better, at least in what small way he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad you did,” he said, noticing the smile that flickered across Seungsik’s face when he said so. Maybe it was the lighting, but even the shadows seemed to fade.. “Did you need anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik scrunched his face in thought and shook his head. “No, I just thought I’d say hi, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo nodded with a soft smile. “Hi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should get going then,” he laughed. “Since I said hi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanna go do something?” Seungwoo asked instead of letting him leave. If Seungsik needed to be around another person, he wasn’t ready to ask yet, so perhaps that was the first </span>
  <em>
    <span>something small</span>
  </em>
  <span> Seungwoo could do for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We could go for a walk,” he said. “Or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A walk,” he repeated. “Aren’t you trying to not walk any more this week?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo closed his eyes and shook his head, waving his fingers. “This is different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How,” Seungsik challenged him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I want to,” he laughed. “And we can just hang around the neighborhood, and if my poor legs give out on me, I’m sure you’re strong enough to carry me back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik’s eyes darted away as they fluttered in surprise. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Aren’t you fun to bother</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “Now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he said. “Unless you don’t want to. You’re probably tired though, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not tired,” he blurted out. It was a lie, and they both knew it. Seungsik was exhausted, but it was a different kind of exhausted. He wore the face of a man who carried too much at once, and that was the kind of affliction that warranted a walk with someone willing to share even a little bit of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo raised an eyebrow, waiting for Seungsik to give him an answer so he could be the person he needed if only for just a couple of hours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to get changed first,” Seungwoo said, tugging at his own shirt and speeding Seungsik’s decision along.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like you like that,” Seungsik said. “I think you should wear pajamas all the time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You probably think I already do,” he grumbled, annoyed with himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I could have spent the day in mine, I would have,” he admitted. “But I think I need to go change out of my work clothes though since we’re going somewhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Seungwoo nodded. “We’re going somewhere then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked down the hallway, unsure, and shuffled in place awkwardly. “Should I come back then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can pick you up at your place if you’d like,” Seungwoo flashed a smile. “I’ll need your address, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik snorted and laughed brightly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>There he is</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “Give me a pen. I’ll write it down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Egging on their little joke, Seungwoo reached back over to the counter, using his foot to hold open the door, and grabbed a marker to hand to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have any paper,” he asked, amused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” he sucked his teeth. “I didn’t plan for this, but I feel like I have to run with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik reached out and grabbed his hand. He felt his whole body raise a few degrees too high so even though the next few hours were about helping Seungsik relax, he made a note to not touch him again in case he was coming down with something contagious. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He scribbled down the directions quickly before handing him back the marker, not noticing that Seungwoo had become fevered in a matter of seconds. Seungwoo looked down at his newly marked hand and saw the arrow that pointed towards Seungsik’s apartment across the hall and laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh you’re funny.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope you don’t have a problem finding the place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if I get lost,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll come find you,” he said. It was Seungwoo’s turn to look away as he swallowed through a dry mouth. He cleared his throat and quickly searched his mind for a way to change the subject, but since he was unable to find one, Seungsik did it for him. “In like 15 minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I think I might take a quick shower since I’ve been a full hermit today,” Seungwoo said. “If you want to meet me here, you can let yourself in. Since you know the code…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s convenient,” he laughed. “Alright, I’ll come back here in a few then unless you finish first. But let yourself in too, if you want. Since you know the code…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Seungwoo smiled, and they parted ways with Seungsik going back home with much lighter steps. Seungwoo closed the door so that Seungsik wouldn’t feel like he was being watched while he punched in his code, even if Seungwoo did happen to be looking at him through the peephole (to make sure he got in safe, of course).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned around and pressed his back against the door and smiled, wondering how nice it would be if they both came out at the same time and saw each other (only to appreciate the coincidence of running into each other, of course), but then he came to his senses and headed back into his apartment for real that time so he could hurry up and change. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t want to make him wait and think that Seungwoo was the kind of person who took too long to get dressed especially just for a casual walk with a neighbor, so he pulled off his pajamas as he ran to the bathroom and tossed them to the floor, ignoring the fact that his living room curtains were pulled back in full view of the city so that he wouldn’t waste any time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He washed himself quickly, roughly patted a glob of moisturizer on his face, and ran to his room to grab a comfortable pair of slacks and a button up shirt that was a little too big for him, but still appropriate for a casual walk with a neighbor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he threw himself together quite (nicely) casually and quickly, he grabbed his wallet and headed out across the hall to where the shower-faded arrow Seungsik had drawn for him pointed, but before he made his presence known, he remembered he forgot something very important.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled out his phone, cursing himself for forgetting that he had already made plans. If Chan was on his way, he would have to cancel his new plans with Seungsik of course, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> did not want to do that especially when Seungsik was having a bad day.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: hey uhhh you’re not on your way right</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: why what’s it to you</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: I KIND OF NEED TO KNOW LOL</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: youre not gonna make me go for a food run right i dont get paid until friday :(</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: omg you little weasel no</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: is it too late to reschedule</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: no i’m still at work is everything ok</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: you remember my neighbor?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: your new boyfriend of course I remember we just talked about him 3 hours ago :)</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: he’s not my bf but i think something happened to him at work </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: is he ok???</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: yeah just kind of… not ok… idk</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: and you want to come to his rescue i see i see</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: i just want to help</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: i’m kidding i know dad</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: let me know if you need anything</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: i’ve never been in a fight before but i own One(1) golf club</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: LOL i’ll keep that in mind</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: they call me heo “knee buster” chan</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: not for the reasons you think :/</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: :v</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: GOTTA GO!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: WHATS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: HEY</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: SEUNGWOO</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: COME BACK HERE!!!!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo shoved his phone back in his pocket, ignoring the demanding stream of texts vibrating against his leg and straightened himself up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He raised his hand to knock, but he paused midair as his chest tightened. He frowned. This indigestion business was beginning to be cause for concern. It had been almost twenty hours since he indulged himself in all that greasy food, but he wasn’t sure why his body was still reacting this way. He hated going to the doctor more than anything, but if this kept up, he was going to have to make himself go. If he had to go, he knew he could always drag Chan with him who was already used to going to all of poor Byungchan’s appointments (how he broke his toe while vacuuming, no one knew), but if Chan wasn’t available, maybe he could ask Seungsik to go with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A stronger pain shot down straight to his stomach, making his knees buckle. He grabbed onto the doorframe to balance himself and took a deep breath. Maybe it wasn’t indigestion at all, but something much, much worse… like constipation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was not a trip to the doctor’s office he was willing to share with anyone other than one of his parents. He shuddered, but the thought of </span>
  <em>
    <span>that kind</span>
  </em>
  <span> of appointment distracted him enough that he was able to bring himself to knock on Seungsik’s door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments without an answer, Seungwoo decided that it was alright to let himself in. He had explicit permission this time, and Seungsik was expecting him so he didn’t see what was wrong with going in on his own or why the idea of actually doing it made him so nervous. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not breaking in, if he told me to. This is a space I’m allowed to be, but this is Seungsik’s home, so why am I allowed to be here? Are we friends? We’re friends right? We could be very good friends, I think. At least, I think I want to be.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A Casual Walk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo and Seungsik make everyone in the whole world feel like a third wheel.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is probably the last of my extremely speedy updates because I am running out of steam, but don’t worry I’ve got it all under control!!!!</p><p>Edit: Chapter Rewritten Aug. 12.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It took a little pep talk to convince his hand to move in the right direction towards the buttons on the lock, but once he imagined Seungsik opening the door and finding him there standing in the way, he decided that perhaps he should just hurry up and let himself in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He punched in the number, still hesitant even though he knew it was the same as his own, and with a friendly mechanical chime, he was able to walk in freely and comfortably as soon as he could drag his feet inside.</span>
</p><p><span>The apartment wasn’t as cold as it was the night before probably since he was in the shower, but then it was even brighter, if that was possible, thanks to several lamps around the room that Seungwoo didn’t notice before. He squinted his eyes, uncomfortable. It was much brighter in Seungsik’s home than he was used to considering the fact that Seungwoo was a big believer in</span> <span>using his window as a light source even at night, but if this was what he liked, then Seungwoo could get used to it.</span></p><p>
  <span>He called out for Seungsik just in case he was around one of the corners so he wouldn’t startle him, but the sound of water splashing against the bathroom tiles was enough for him to guess that he wasn’t ready yet so Seungwoo took his place back on the most comfortable couch in the whole world and sank into it like an old friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took the opportunity to look around the room while he waited, noticing the framed family photos from the night before as well as a few movie and music posters and a bookshelf that had a few albums on it, a stack of films, and what looked to be a couple of books on herbal health of all things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While he was busy wondering if Seungsik was an herbal tea, liquor, or supplement kind of guy, he heard the bathroom door open. It wasn’t that he meant to look, but it was only naturally that his head jerked at the sound to greet him, and it would have probably been alright if his eyes had been already pointed upwards towards his face and not directly at the towel hanging loosely on his hips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Seungsik said, surprised, jumping a little bit and clutching his bare chest. “You scared me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Seungwoo said in a slight daze before slurping at the drool that pooled on his bottom lip. He coughed and straightened himself up, tearing himself away from the sight of a perfectly crafted torso that made his eyes water because if he kept looking he would either have given himself a nosebleed or Seungsik would have given him a restraining order. “I just got here, I hope that’s okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no, it’s fine,” he laughed. “I’m just not used to another person being in here. For the second day in a row.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blushed and cleared his throat, locking his view on a wild strand of carpet that stuck out further than the rest. A new ache grew in his chest, but he was able to ignore it. “I guess I kind of moved in, huh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s kind of nice,” he mused before flushing a bit, himself. “I mean I used to live with a roommate so sometimes the quiet is a bit weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, totally,” Seungwoo agreed. “Me too. Feel free to go make noise in my apartment any time you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” he laughed. “I’m almost ready, but if you wanna watch tv or something, go for it. Also your pizza is still in my fridge from last night, but I didn’t want to sneak it over before I went to work because that might have been weird, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It might have been,” he said, amused. “But you would be the first burglar to ever sneak food into someone’s house so I couldn’t exactly call the police or anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed. “What if you called to report me and I was the one who answered?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, that’s true,” he said. “That might put a strain on our relationship. I promise I’ll never call you ever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Always call me when you need help,” he said before correcting himself. “I mean call us for help, no matter who answers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Such a model citizen,” Seungwoo teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m serious,” he said with a bitter smile that reminded Seungwoo of how he was earlier when he stopped by his apartment. Seungwoo’s eyebrows drew together in concern which Seungsik must have noticed because he immediately straightened himself and chuckled casually. “You know, safety and all that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he said, wondering what it was that was bothering him so much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna go get dressed now,” he said awkwardly, covering his bare torso with his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Seungwoo said softly and looked away again to give him some privacy while he walked back to his room and closed the door behind him. Seungwoo let out a breath as soon as it closed and grabbed his chest, cursing his mysterious indigestion, but he had endured it well until then, never one to show when he was in pain. He didn’t want Seungsik to worry when it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>But he suspected that he wasn’t the only one in pain, and unlike Seungsik’s current state, Seungwoo was fully prepared to worry. That was what Seungwoo needed to focus on, not the growing ache in his own chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik returned a few minutes later with damp hair, a college sweatshirt thrown on, and a pair of bright yellow shorts that, if they were closer, he would have surely teased him for, but instead, Seungwoo was still in caregiver mode.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you going to get cold,” he asked, noting the evening chill that was expected that time of year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik waved him off. “I almost never get cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Almost never,” he echoed, nodding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t believe me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m almost tempted to make a bet,” Seungwoo laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of bet,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If you get cold, I get to kiss you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s face burned at the worst thought he had ever had in his life. He jumped off the couch and pulled on his coat and immediately headed towards the door. “If you get cold, you owe me a snack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if I don’t?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want,” he asked over his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed. “Maybe ice cream.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a deal,” he said, thankful that what he wanted was a lot more manageable than what he had imagined, but it wasn’t a bet he wanted to win so much now. “Are you sure you don’t want to take a jacket or something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My workplace is freezing,” he said brightly. “I’m used to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just checking,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They headed down the hallway, walking together in stride with Seungwoo slightly taking the lead. It was strange because he was still too shy to look at him, but it was also nice. He liked walking with him just through the building and thought that even though he was still too tired to go out, perhaps being with his new friend could give him the energy he needed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are we going,” he finally asked after letting Seungwoo lead them downstairs and out the front door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can’t go too far,” he said. “But I was thinking maybe we could go check out the market a few blocks away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah!” Seungsik said, pleased. “I’ve been wanting to go since I moved in, but I never got around to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too!” He said. “I saw you like herbal medicine. Maybe we could find something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Were you snooping on me,” he asked with a giggle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just looking around to get to know my neighbor,” Seungwoo said, folding his arms across his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ohh,” he teased him, wedging his fingers in the crease of his elbow and giving it a playful squeeze that made Seungwoo squirm. “Did you find anything else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not this time,” he said, with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you planning another visit already,” Seungsik raised his eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You came to me, remember,” he pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least I knocked first,” he teased again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Seungwoo cried out, but by then they had reached their destination, and Seungwoo finally noticed that he had clung onto his elbow the whole walk there. Seungsik gave it a final squeeze before letting his arms fall back down to his sides, and Seungwoo frowned. He didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have </span>
  </em>
  <span>to let go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The market was busier than he expected for a Monday, but it wasn’t so bad that they couldn’t enjoy themselves. Most of the vendors sold food or produce, but some sold jewelry or clothing, and a few sold designer knock offs such as </span>
  <em>
    <span>Proda</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gocci</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and neither of them had any real interest in purchasing anything, but that didn’t stop the vendors from trying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You like what you see,” an old man said, pointing at a collection of rings, bracelets, and necklaces spread out on a red and blue patterned cloth. “I could give you a discount if you like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No thank you,” Seungwoo said as politely as he could without offending him, but the seller wasn’t quite ready to give up yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see you haven’t given each other couple rings yet,” he pointed out, reaching a cold hand out for Seungwoo’s. “Today could be a special day!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rubbed his thumb over the place where Seungwoo presumed a couple ring was supposed to go (he wouldn’t know, he had never worn one before), sending a weird shiver down his spine that made his skin crawl. He laughed awkwardly and pulled his hand away, shoving it into his pocket so that it probably wouldn’t happen again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s shy,” the man cooed at Seungsik who was much less horrified than Seungwoo was. In fact, if Seungwoo didn’t know any better, he seemed quite amused with the situation. Of course he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not a couple,” Seungsik laughed. “Maybe he can come back when he finds someone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo cleared his throat. “Good idea. When I find someone, I’ll come back and buy something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that wasn’t convincing enough at all for this seller. He waved his arms and scowled. “I’ll give you a special discount. Two for one!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik, face frozen in a strained smile, looked back from the vendor to the table. “Alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright?” Seungwoo asked, confused and mildly concerned that he had given in so easily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he said through his teeth. “This one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik slid his finger under a thin silver chain and lifted it up off the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I said, two for one,” the seller repeated, gleeful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yay,” Seungsik said to himself, much less enthusiastic, as he dug out his wallet. The transaction was much quicker than the sale, and the two of them were chased away in favor of two teenagers who weren’t nearly as reluctant at buying matching jewelry as these two were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked off with the two silver bracelets in a small paper bag and moved to the side once they were clear out of ear shot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry about that,” Seungwoo mumbled. He had a face that people liked to call out to. He suspected it was his nose. It stuck out in a crowd.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Help me put this on,” he said, ignoring him and choosing to fight with the chain’s clasp instead. “Why do they make these things so tiny?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo grabbed the bracelet from him and wrapped it around his wrist, using his fingernails to pull back the tiny lever. “If you really wanted a bracelet to wear, he had braided ropes. Those are easier to get on and off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They stink after a while,” he said as he waited patiently for Seungwoo to figure out how to get it on him. He had only fiddled with these tiny bastards a few times to help his mom put on her necklaces, but they never got any easier to handle. He was sure there was a trick to it, but maybe his hands were too big.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There,” Seungwoo said under his breath, and he realized with regret that he had been holding his wrist for several minutes only then to have to let go of it again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik pulled away and examined his new bracelet, giving it a light jingle. “Not bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It suits you,” he said. “Where’s mine?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yours?” He laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two for one!” Seungwoo reminded him. “Do I not get one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I was saving it for when I find someone,” he said, holding the bag away from him with a scowl. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can get a new bracelet then,” Seungwoo said, taking the bag from him. He fished out the remaining bracelet and wrapped it around his own wrist, sure he could fasten it on his own with only one hand out of spite alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come here,” Seungsik said quietly, taking the chain from him to do it himself. “Big baby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You couldn’t do it either,” he grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t pout about it, though,” he said. “At least I asked for help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You told me you were going to give mine to someone else,” Seungwoo said. “Ask who?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik let out a weak laugh and swore under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungwoo asked, feeling self conscious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t get the clasp.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have to hold the loop to the mouth of it before pulling down the little bar with your fingernail,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My nail isn’t long enough,” he grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you play guitar or something,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little bit,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Try the callus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah!” He said, happy. “I think I got it. What do you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo pulled his hand away from him and looked at his new bracelet. “I like it. I think I’ll keep it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who says,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to take it back from me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he considered. “I think it suits you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo smiled, pleased, but then gathered himself into a serious expression. “So are we going to let anyone else bully us into buying couples’ things?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, but try not to make eye contact,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me?!” Seungwoo shrieked. “What about you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not the one everyone keeps looking at,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not true,” he said softly before swallowing and changing the subject. “I guess if we get conned again, I’ll take the next one. It’s only fair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe it won’t happen again,” he said. “How many times can we get mistaken for a couple in one night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo raised his wrist and gave it a jingle. “I think the question is, how much free stuff can we get from people thinking we’re a couple in one night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ahhhhh,” he said sagely. “We can con back the cons.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo wiggled his eyebrows. “Two for one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed and looked around while he gathered an idea, and Seungwoo took it as an opportunity to take a closer look at his neighbor who he was just on a casual walk with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sun had begun to set, and the street was lit with a soft amber glow that made him look like he was bathed in honey matching the sweetness of his demeanor. How one person could be so soft and not soft at the same time was driving him absolutely insane. He was someone he wanted to take care of, but a part of him turned into a useless puddle of goo whenever he took care of him in return. It was maddening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have an idea,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it,” Seungwoo asked, snapping out of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think you’re going to like it,” he said with a pained, cautious smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will it hurt,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not likely,” Seungsik said, Seungwoo shrugged, fine with whatever he wanted to do. “Are you sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he said. “I trust you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” he laughed and looked away. “If you hate it, don’t freak out, I’m sensitive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I promise to only make fun of you a little if your idea sucks,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik scrunched his nose, but he accepted his promise. “Give me your hand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For what?” Seungwoo asked. He blinked silently like Seungwoo was being difficult. “Alright, alright, here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached out with his palm up like Seungsik was going to hand him something, but instead he shook his head and reached out and took it, lowering it and clasping their hands together like two awkward lobster claws. “There. Now we look like a couple.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah we do,” Seungwoo said. He swallowed against his own dry throat. This wasn’t what he expected at all, but what he also didn’t expect was how </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine with it </span>
  </em>
  <span>he felt, if only a little panicked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you hate it,” he laughed, a little insecure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said. “I don’t hate it all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s see if it works,” he said, giving him a quick squeeze. Seungwoo grabbed his chest with his free hand and groaned in pain, too overwhelmed to hold it in that time. “Dude, are you okay? What’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing,” Seungwoo said as he rubbed the ache away. “It’s been like this since we ate all that greasy food yesterday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he relaxed. “I forgot you’re an old man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m only a few months older than you,” he said, standing back upright to glare at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you feel better now don’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s lips thinned. The ache was gone, but the smugness of Seungsik calling him old was too much to let go of. He twisted his hand around and interlocked their fingers bitterly. “Come on, we’ve got some free shit to find.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though he practically dragged him through the market while he quietly nursed his bruised ego, Seungsik giggled happily behind him, completely amused by how aggravated he was, and all that did was make Seungwoo less annoyed because as long as Seungsik was happy, he was happy—a revelation he found particularly annoying in that particular circumstance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you still mad at me,” he asked cutely as Seungwoo finally slowed down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said with a sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure,” Seungsik asked, craning his neck to get a better look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he said, pretending to be annoyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> old,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo lifted their clasped hands together and shook them. “Don’t you have a theory to test out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh right,” he said. “We’re supposed to be boyfriends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he said, holding in a scream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give me your money.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” he laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think that lady over there might give us free stuff if she sees you give me money.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?!” Seungwoo asked again in disbelief. “How do you know that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trust me, I can tell,” he said, confident. “Oh come on, I’ll give it right back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you wanted a snack, you could have just asked,” Seungwoo said, eyeing the booth. “I would cover for you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik’s cheeks flushed as he looked away and shook his head. “I’ve got my own. We’re testing a theory, remember?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” he sighed, breaking their grip to reach for his wallet. He pulled out a couple of bank notes and handed them to Seungsik who took them with a smile. “Let’s see if you know what you’re talking about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik walked across the street and approached the vendor. Seungwoo watched patiently as he pointed to a bag of nuts. He heard a loud giggle come from the woman selling the snacks who reached out and squeezed one of Seungsik’s cheeks, a gesture Seungwoo found himself envious of. Other than that, he couldn’t tell what was happening between them until Seungsik returned with a bag of hot roasted peanuts in each hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Told you,” he said brightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Told me what,” Seungwoo eyed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take one of these so I can get your money out of my pocket,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My what,” Seungwoo asked as he took one of the tiny, warm paper bags for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik pulled a bank note out and returned it to him. “See.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I went to buy a bag for myself, she said she saw my </span>
  <em>
    <span>boyfriend</span>
  </em>
  <span> give me money, and it was so sweet she told me to take two so he could have some too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It worked?!” Seungwoo gawked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” he said, shocked. “I feel kind of bad, though. Did we just scam an old lady?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little bit,” he admitted. “That wasn’t as fun as I thought it was going to be…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo popped a peanut into his mouth. “These are pretty good. Might get some for later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Seungsik tried one for himself. “She had a few other things too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not scamming if we come back, right,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s true,” he agreed. “Because if we didn’t go for these, we wouldn’t have known to buy everything else.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly,” Seungwoo said proudly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m done scamming for the night,” he said as he munched. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least we know that if our careers fail, we can always get two for one things as a couple.” Another pang shot through Seungwoo’s stomach as the words came out of his own mouth, and he almost dropped the bag of peanuts in his hand on the ground from the shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay,” he said, grabbing onto him to help hold him up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it's just my stomach again,” Seungwoo said. “I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like this,” he said. “We get calls like this all the time, and it’s usually serious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if it’s not serious,” Seungwoo said, straightening up. “Will you hold my hand by my hospital bed while the doctor writes me a prescription for gas-x?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you need to…” Seungsik said before making a wafting motion with his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Seungwoo shouted. “That was just an example.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was a pretty specific example, if you ask me,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not,” Seungwoo started, half shouting before taking a breath. “That’s not the problem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not?” Seungsik asked, eyeing him. “When’s the last time you pooped?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo grimaced and swatted at him, but Seungsik dodged the swipes and giggled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just kidding,” he said. “But maybe we should get you something to eat just in case.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Seungwoo agreed, glad that his health was no longer such a hot topic anymore, but at least he learned that Seungsik wasn’t easily grossed out about things like that which was probably a good thing. It meant they were becoming closer, didn’t it? If that was the case, then he supposed he could endure the embarrassment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked together back through the market away from the lady with the peanuts, and a new wave of nerves washed over him, but instead of pain they only brought a weird warmth to his stomach. When they first walked together down that very same street, they had been hand in hand, playing a secret game just between the two of them to see if they could convince a group of total strangers that they were together. Of course, that brought its own crisis, but what set this time apart was the uncontrollable urge Seungwoo had to reach out to his side and slide his finger around Seungsik’s pinkie, and that, of course, terrified him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungwoo repeated back, startled. “What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were scowling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was just thinking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Seungwoo could think of an answer, a new vendor shouted at them and waved them over. From what he could tell, she didn’t have any wares to peddle, but once he saw the little white sign thrown together with markered lettering and craft tape, he understood. She wanted to read their fortunes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone looks like he wants to know what his future holds,” she said with a bit of theatrics to her voice that reminded him of a character from a childrens’ show, and it would have been easy to ignore her if her eyes weren’t locked so intensely on Seungsik that it froze the other man right in his tracks. Seungwoo placed a gentle grip on his wrist to get his attention. He was ready to pretend to be his boyfriend who happened to be in a hurry to leave, but she continued before he could play the part. “Worried about your work? Or something else, is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik paled and shook his head. He stepped back, and Seungwoo followed, putting himself between them. “Sorry, ma’am, I’m out of money.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll give you a reading for free,” she bargained. “And if you like it, you can drop a tip off on my table for good luck.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We really should get going,” Seungwoo said, trying to help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, what’s the trouble,” she teased, turning towards Seungwoo. “Scared you’re not in it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s lips thinned into a bitter smile. That probably would have stung a little bit if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>his boyfriend, but assuming Seungsik’s lease wasn’t about to run out the next day, they would still be neighbors regardless of what she said about his future.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik, on the other hand, seemed to be more affected by the fact that she tried to provoke Seungwoo over a sham fortune reading than himself. He stepped forward and gave a shrug with a light smile like he didn’t really care what the results were. “Sure, what can it hurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a pleased smile, she gestured for him to step to the side of her table where an X was placed on the ground with white tape. She then instructed him to lay his hands down flat with his palms towards the ground on a sanded wooden block she had positioned in front of him. Seungwoo had never seen such a peculiar setup, but what did he know about fortune telling?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, let’s see,” she hummed, looking him over. “You have a lot of troubles, I see, and all of them, fairly recent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik slouched awkwardly, refusing to look at either of them. It didn’t take a </span>
  <em>
    <span>gift</span>
  </em>
  <span> to see that he was stressed. That was the whole point of their trip to the market in the first place because Seungwoo had figured it out on his own in a matter of seconds without any cosmic assistance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do not want me to say what’s bothering you? Alright, no reading then. We will focus on your future only, and you can stop me whenever you like. Like this, you are unlucky and burdened. You wish to trouble no one, and yet you wish to be troubled.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik still avoided eye contact with both him and the fortune teller, and Seungwoo wondered why he wasn’t speaking. He wasn’t telling dad jokes or defending himself or giggling from the excess of attention, and he wondered if it was some kind of placebo effect created by the wooden block or the pressure of being read like that so specifically in public. Thankfully there wasn’t an audience.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But this isn’t your future, is it,” she frowned and rubbed her head, catching both of their attentions. Perhaps the theatrics worked after all. He had to admit, she was good at her job. “Could you stand by him please, young man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me?” Seungwoo gawked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you,” she said sweetly which made him feel like the word </span>
  <em>
    <span>idiot</span>
  </em>
  <span> was meant to be slipped in there somewhere. She turned back to Seungsik. “If you do not mind, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t mind,” Seungsik laughed, probably happy that he wasn’t the only one on display anymore. At least they could share the discomfort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, good, stand beside him, dear,” she said, hurrying Seungwoo along.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo stood next to him. His hand hovered to place it on the block with him, but that felt silly since she hadn’t told him to so he let it fall back down between them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Much better,” she let out a satisfied sigh. “Now you are fortunate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we’re not–,” Seungsik started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I know dear,” she laughed. “You two are pretending to be lovers, but you only just met. It’s not a blind date because neither one of you is as nervous as you should be—except for the long one, if he doesn’t get a grip he’s going to make himself have an accident.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo coughed, horrified, and Seungsik stifled a giggle, but not very well judging by the way his body shook next to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I happen to know the man who sold you those bracelets can be very persuasive,” she added with a wink. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I still have to stand here,” Seungwoo grumbled, feeling a little humiliated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m almost finished,” she assured him before turning back to Seungsik. “Apart, you are lost, split between two versions of yourself, but together you will make better decisions with a balanced mind because this person will understand you when you do not. Yes, this is much better. Now you are lucky again, and on the right path.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, she seemed to be finished, and Seungsik finally relaxed, letting his hands fall back to his sides while Seungwoo scrambled as fast as he could to put some space between himself and the lady who said too much too easily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Seungsik said, pulling out his wallet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you like what you heard, dear,” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is for you figuring out what we were up to,” he said, cheerfully, but she didn’t seem offended that he didn’t comment on the actual reading. If anything, she seemed more than pleased, but Seungwoo figured he would be more than pleased too if someone had just handed him a wad of money just for talking, but Seungsik seemed lighter than he was earlier, and that was all that mattered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready to go,” Seungwoo asked, not reaching out for him that time because there was nothing to pull him away from anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, let’s go find you some food.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo had a lot of questions, but the fact that he had just been labeled Seungsik’s lucky charm was enough to keep his mouth shut. He worried that if he asked him anything, he risked putting himself on display for all the wrong reasons, and he didn’t want to say anything stupid and ruin the budding friendship between them just because he was a little freaked out about a random street reading.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Seungsik was too quiet, lost in his own thoughts and wearing the same expression from earlier that made Seungwoo go into savior mode in the first place. He had to do something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you in the mood for,” he asked, offering a distraction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed. “Something I can chew on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So no soup,” he laughed. “Ramen is probably out too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to go have ramen with me,” he asked playfully, smiling with all his teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe tomorrow night,” Seungwoo said, elbowing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik scrunched his nose into a pout, but dropped it once he found </span>
  <em>
    <span>something to chew on</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “What about that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked to where he was pointing. There was a booth with stacks of skewers of meats and vegetables that immediately got a positive reaction from his third wheel of a stomach. It was something Seungsik could chew on, something less greasy for Seungwoo, and something they could both easily eat and walk back to their apartments at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked over to the stall and placed their orders, not without shoving each other for the right to pay. Seungwoo won that round because he still owed him for the couples bracelets, but it didn’t seem that Seungsik was going to let that go for long. He was just going to have to suck it up because Seungwoo liked buying him things, even if they were just chicken skewers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they got their food, they wandered off a few steps to make room for other customers. Seungwoo impatiently pulled off a steaming hot piece of potato with his teeth with a painful hiss, too much in a hurry to get something in his stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t burn yourself,” Seungsik scolded before doing the exact same thing to his own skewer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t burn </span>
  <em>
    <span>yourself</span>
  </em>
  <span> , Seungwoo said with his potato still held between his teeth, puffing away at the steam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re gonna look real cute with your lips blistered,” he said sarcastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, are you gonna fix them for me,” Seungwoo blurted out, almost choking on his food. “With… burn gel cream ointment… stuff…. the stuff you put on burns!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at him with wide eyes and blinked. “...you mean aloe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that,” he said, eyeing the park nearby for a good spot to become an earthworm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want some right now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your face is kinda red, bro.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s dark out, you don’t know that,” he defended himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looks pretty red to me,” Seungsik said. He reached out his hand to put the back of his fingers on his cheek to check for extra warmth like the demon he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop that,” he swatted him away. “You have chicken fingers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My hands are clean!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And my face is not red!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you say,” he giggled before taking another bite of his own skewer with a yelp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you burn yourself,” Seungwoo asked, concerned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing a little burn gel cream ointment can’t fix,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” he groaned, earning a pleased giggle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Seungsik laughed. “I’m not normally like this. I think knowing you as the deranged onion man in my kitchen makes me want to bully you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo exhaled sharply. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t mean that, do you,” he laughed again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Seungwoo did mean it, he just didn’t know quite how much he meant it yet.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. New Friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo and Seungsik finish their night at the market with a new friendship.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Edit: Chapter Rewritten Aug 12.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungsik’s relentless teasing ended with the two of them wandering aimlessly, not quite ready to go back home just yet, but both a little too tired to play around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The energy they had when they first went to the market was replaced with the exhaustion that came from pretending to be boyfriends, having their fortunes read, and finally filling their bellies with something warm and delicious. All that was left for the night was walking around, and as they did, Seungwoo’s work-beaten body finally caught up with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we sit down,” he asked awkwardly, trying to hide how given out he was. “Just for a minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure,” Seungsik said, tired too. “Where should we go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo studied their surroundings for something to rest on, and at the end of the block he saw a small park and close to the sidewalk on the edge was a free bench. He pointed. He hoped if they walked quickly, no one else would claim it first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they finally sat down, he let out a long, relieved sigh. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I forgot we agreed to walk less and sit less when we’re together,” Seungsik joked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can take turns,” he said. “Now it’s mine, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik sighed too and slouched down into the seat. “I certainly feel better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he hummed. “I just walked so much, my whole week is covered.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean about what you were upset about,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Seungsikie</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he half scolded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik’s eyes flickered at the first use of a nickname, but in all honesty, it just slipped out because he was concerned, and they both knew that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that why you came out with me,” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s part of it,” he admitted. “I mean, I would have wanted to come here with you no matter what, but I was worried about you too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be,” Seungsik said. “But thank you for caring.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what friends do, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at him and smiled softly. “Right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat quietly for a few moments, and Seungwoo noticed he was rubbing his hands together and shivering just barely enough to be noticed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I thought you said you weren’t going to get cold.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>But Seungwoo didn’t feel like bothering him about it because he could tell that he wasn’t in the mood for any </span>
  <em>
    <span>I told you so’s</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so Seungwoo had to be clever, and to be clever, he had to be a little brave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m cold,” he lied, wrapping his arm around Seungsik’s elbow to share his own warmth. “You don’t mind, do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not all all,” he said, trying his best to keep his teeth from chattering. Seungwoo frowned and hugged onto his arm tighter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo wished he could find a way to casually wrap his coat around them both, but there was no way he could get away with it without being too obvious. He didn’t understand why Seungsik was so determined to keep the fact that he was cold a secret, but he had to do his best to play along.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment, the shivering stopped, but it was replaced with a strange melancholic atmosphere that affected them both. The ache that had troubled Seungwoo over the last few hours was pushed back and replaced with a case of the good old fashioned worries, and he wasn’t sure what he could do to make it better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can tell me,” he said quietly, tempted to rest his head on his shoulder for comfort, but he was already pushing it as he was. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik took a deep labored breath and exhaled slowly until he completely emptied his lungs. “I almost quit my job today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why’s that? Did someone do something to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We got a call today,” he started, gathering his thoughts that were too painful to all be waiting for him at the surface. “I’m normally pretty good at separating myself from these things because I try to trick myself into thinking it’s just an intense training exercise and that nothing really bad is happening to someone out there, but this time it was too much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t really say because we’re not allowed to talk about it, but I don’t think you would really want to know, honestly. I mean curiosity aside, it’s better not to know how cruel the world can be,” he said sadly. “Or how unfair, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did someone hurt someone? You think it’ll be on the news?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head and lowered it. “No, it wasn’t anything like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will they be okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik shook his head. His voice cracked as he said a quiet </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span> as the word slipped out of a tightening throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo let out a long understanding sigh. Something terrible had happened, and he had carried it with him all day well into the evening, finding little ways to distract himself as much as he could, and although Seungwoo was glad to help, distractions never completely worked in the end. Especially since Seungsik would probably never be able to talk about it with anyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come here,” he said quietly. He slid his arm out from its place in the crook of his elbow and moved it around his shoulders just under Seungsik’s neck. Seungwoo sat up and turned so that he could pull him to his chest so that Seungsik could be next to another living person who was safe from harm and who wouldn’t give him anything else to worry about. “I like to be leaned on in times of distress. Hold me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik snorted but settled into him anyway, taking comfort in a friendly stranger who he was just a little too close with. “This should be weird, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t think of any of my friends who I would sit like this on a public bench with all out in the open on purpose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The perks of being a deranged onion man,” Seungwoo said. “I don’t feel embarrassment anymore. Would you like to see me do a little dance?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel like a deranged onion man,” Seungsik said, tired.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you wanna go break into my house and raid my refrigerator? That might help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have any food,” he said into his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not true,” Seungwoo said, taking the moment of distraction from their conversation to wrap his coat around them both like he had wanted to before. “I have supplements.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not food,” he groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And face packs,” he added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please go buy groceries tomorrow,” Seungsik said. “And don’t eat your face masks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t stop me,” he said annoyingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is why your stomach hurts,” he said, scolding him and prodding his finger into his side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go tomorrow,” Seungwoo said. Actually, he felt fine then, but he decided that it wasn’t a good time to mention it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he said. “But I changed my mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I feel more like the limp onion than the deranged man,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay,” Seungwoo patted the back of his head softly, forcing himself to ignore how soft his hair was. “I promise not to wave you around until you fall on the floor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He heard a soft giggle before Seungsik started shaking against him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Seungwoo laughed, and was answered with a bright </span>
  <em>
    <span>he he he</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“What?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just remembered that strange fortune teller lady called you </span>
  <em>
    <span>the long one,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and I just pictured you as one of those giant dancing balloon people,” he said as he sat back up on his side of the bench. Tears pooled in his eyes from laughter, but Seungwoo did not find it nearly as funny as he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Seungwoo cried out, swatting at him while Seungsik wiggled his arms playfully. “I am not long!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s one noodley boy!” He wiggled around and laughed openly at Seungwoo’s expense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, you’re annoying,” Seungwoo said frustrated, but he was so happy to see him smile a real smile again that he could take any jab he threw at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed gleefully and jumped up to his feet. “You ready to head back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so,” he said with a stretch. “But first, I wanna go stop by that peanut lady. If you’re tired, you can head back first, though, I don’t mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go with you,” Seungsik said. “Leaving you here feels a bit… Let’s hurry though in case she’s already packing up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Seungwoo could ask him what</span>
  <em>
    <span> leaving him alone</span>
  </em>
  <span> felt like, he was already headed back towards the market ready to find her booth again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they found the booth, they probably spent too much money on all the different kinds of snacks she sold, but it absolved them of their guilt from their earlier mischief so that they could both sleep with a clear conscience. But before they could leave, Seungwoo had one more thing he had to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait here,” he said. Seungsik raised an eyebrow, but he planted his feet like he was told to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo trotted across the street to a table run by a man selling fruits and vegetables. Although everything looked delicious and made him wish he hadn’t just spent all of his extra cash already, he needed one vegetable in particular, and that was a perfectly ripened and unbroken green onion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll take this one, please,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just the one?” The vendor asked, not looking up at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s for my friend,” Seungwoo said quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man looked up at him and then behind at Seungsik before looking back at him again. “I can give you two for one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s alright,” he laughed. “I only need one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about a couple of tomatoes then,” he said. “I’ll go ahead and put them in your bag for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, that’s alright,” Seungwoo insisted, but the vendor ignored him. He wasn’t sure how anyone could make money like this, and he most certainly wasn’t trying to scam anyone that time. He genuinely just wanted to replace the green onion he broke, but apparently that meant he also had to go home with a bag of tomatoes that, upon further inspection later, were probably too long off the plant to sell. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The vendor went back to what he was doing with a small grunt and a nod, and suddenly Seungwoo was very self conscious about the fact that he had gone all the way there to buy one green onion for Seungsik… who was still waiting for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His heart leaped, stressed, as he realized he made him wait over by a garbage can while he spent too much time arguing about unwanted tomatoes, but when he went to find him so he could apologize for running off and present his gift to him, he saw Seungsik talking to a strange man and his very large dog.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo smiled in relief. He found him squatting on the ground, scratching the dog behind both ears while it looked back at him with a soft and happy expression with its tongue flopped out of its mouth. Seungsik looked good petting a large doggie. Much better than anyone else he’d ever seen before, in his opinion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long have you had him,” he heard him ask the owner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About two years,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s his name?” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Toast,” he said. The owner of said large doggie was propped up casually against a fence, wearing a beanie and slippers and mismatched clothing that somehow was very well thrown together and not sloppy at all. He was about their age, if not a bit younger, and had friendly smiling eyes that were hidden behind black, thick-rimmed frames.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo might have been a little jealous seeing them together if someone quite small and lithe hadn’t appeared as soon as he took his place next to Seungsik. A large floppy sweater practically swallowed him whole, and he regarded them both through the thin round glasses that were perched on his nose before reaching into the dog owner’s pocket and pulling out his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing,” the dog owner asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mine died, and I forgot something,” the small one said. Seungsik and Seungwoo finally had a taste of their own medicine after making everyone else in the whole world feel like third wheels for their little party of two. He handed the phone back to his partner before heading back across the street.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wooseok!” The dog owner called out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What!” He said back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you get me some popcorn?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The small one apparently called Wooseok gawked at him. “Now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dog owner pouted and nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get your own!” Wooseok shouted again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m clearly busy,” he called back and gestured towards the dog that Seungsik was petting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Seungsik said, standing up. “I see dog, I pet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he laughed. “I’m just teasing my husband.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Husband. God, what’s that like?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of popcorn?” Wooseok called out to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you like!” He shouted out. “No garlic, please! Toast doesn’t like it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok shuffled like he was stomping his foot. “Am I buying popcorn for the dog?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The dog?! He! Is! Our! Son!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our! Son! Does! Not! Need! Popcorn!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But! I! Do!” Toast barked with a faint howl to get both of their attention. “I’m sorry buddy, daddy and I aren’t fighting, we’re just messing around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s heart flipped. The two strange men and the dog made a perfect family, and he had never been jealous of a relationship before, but they made it look like something he would have given anything to experience for himself. If only he had someone he could experience it with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you get what you needed,” Seungsik asked, turning to him with bright, curious eyes. He wore the face of a man who had just spent the last ten minutes petting a very large dog named Toast, and it alleviated some of Seungwoo’s guilt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, yeah, sorry about that,” he said, lifting the bag up. “Good to go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great, it was nice meeting you…,” Seungsik said, turning to the dog owner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungyoun,” he laughed. “Sorry, I should have said who I was when my dog jumped on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s no problem,” he said, brushing himself off. “I love big doggies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Toast is a friendly boy,” Seungyoun said. “But I think we need to go find his other dad before Wooseok gets lost in the crowd again. It was nice meeting you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungsik,” he said. “And this is my friend Seungwoo.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sorry, I should have introduced myself to you too,” Seungyoun laughed again. “Where are my manners?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” Seungwoo said with a smile, waving him off. “I snuck into the conversation at the last minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Right after you left, his dog ran across the street and tried to tackle me,” Seungsik said, excited to tell him the story of how they met. “But I was too strong for you, wasn’t I, Toast?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dog looked up at him and panted happily. Seungyoun frowned, apologetic. “He’s a good boy, really. He’s kind of trained… he just... gets excited.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get excited when I see Seungsik too,” Seungwoo blurted out in a baby voice as he rubbed the top of the dog’s head. He kept his own head down so neither of them could see how horrified he was at himself, but Seungsik laughed like he took it as a playful joke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You two going to the movie Saturday?” Seungyoun asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What movie?” They both asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, they play a movie in the park across the street once a month,” he said. “It’s usually a cartoon or something kid friendly, but I like it better than going to the theater because then we don’t have to leave Toast alone for a few hours for a date night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A date night. What’s that like?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for telling us,” Seungwoo said, his heart pounding in his throat. He didn’t want to be thinking what he was thinking, but he couldn’t help himself. It wasn’t his fault that the idea of a </span>
  <em>
    <span>date </span>
  </em>
  <span>had been presented to him on a silver platter carried by a very large dog named Toast. What if they…</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that sounds like fun,” Seungsik said, smiling at them both. “Maybe if both of us are free, we could go sometime.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Seungwoo coughed. “Maybe!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun looked at them both and smirked. “It’s more fun if you bring a date, by the way. I went without Wooseok once, and I’ve never felt so lonely. Even with Toast. Bring a blanket to sit on. You can share food… a little wine…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll keep that in mind,” Seungwoo said shyly, interrupting him before he could give him any more ideas he shouldn’t have had. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok returned with a big bag of popcorn and popped a piece into his own mouth, and Seungwoo and Seungsik took it as a sign that they were supposed to head back to their own apartments. They said goodbye to the nice couple with the dog and headed back home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk back was regretful only because it was over, but it was dark out, and Seungsik had work in the morning even if Seungwoo wanted to find every excuse in the book to spend the whole night out with him. His brightness was infectious, and even if Seungwoo had been a little jealous seeing him talking to someone else, it was nice to see that with Seungyoun he was politely friendly and entirely focused on the dog, but with Seungwoo, he was playful and downright mischievous. He wondered if he was crazy or a little masochistic for wanting that side of Seungsik to come out the most when he was with him, but if that was just his natural personality with his friends versus strangers in the market, he supposed that was fine too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They made it back to their building and up to their floor where they stopped in the space between their apartment doors to say goodbye. Seungwoo was a little sad to part ways with him, but he tried his best to hide the fact. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wondered for a moment in the lingering expression on Seungsik’s face was a mirror of his own, but he kicked himself for being too hopeful. Just because he wanted to spend as much time with Seungsik as he could, didn’t mean that he necessarily felt the same way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for taking me out,” Seungwoo teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik swatted at him. “Thanks for asking me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You basically asked,” he said, looking down at his feet. “I just nudged it along a little bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, I thought just saying hi would have been enough to reset myself, but I don’t think it would have been…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s mouth twisted into a scowl as he thought for a moment. Seungsik may have felt a little better then, but the second he went back inside, he would go back to dealing with everything on his own all over again. Seungwoo couldn’t save him from the stress, but he could at least try his best to make the pain a little less of a burden he had to bear all on his own. “Can I borrow your phone real quick?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did yours die too,” he teased as he fished his out of his pocket and handed it to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Seungwoo laughed. He pulled up the messages and sent himself a quick text. “I want you to have my number in case you ever need anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said, a little shy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, you can always knock on my door or let yourself in, I guess, but if something happens at work again or whenever you’re not nearby or I’m not home, and you need someone to talk to, even if I’m on a site, I’ll be here,” Seungwoo clarified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said. He took his phone back once Seungwoo was done and held it tightly in his hand. “You don’t have to do that, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” he said. “But I want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik smiled and looked down at his feet. “You too, though. If you ever need something, I’m here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo braced himself for a sharp pain in his chest that never came. Instead, it was replaced by welcome butterflies that warmed him from head to toe and made his head spin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Seungwoo shouted, startling him. “Your onion!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My what?” Seungsik laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached into the bag and pulled out the green onion that he bought for him at the market. “I went ahead and replaced it while we were down there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t have to do that,” he said, amused as he accepted his gift. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Came with a couple of tomatoes I didn’t ask for,” Seungwoo grumbled. “Two for one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two for one,” he repeated before humming in thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess our plan didn’t work after all,” Seungsik said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why’s that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We weren’t pretending to be a couple then, and we still got the discount,” he said. “Oh well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe we weren’t really pretending.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh,” Seungwoo said, exaggerating befuddlement. He knew the vendor knew he was buying it for him, but Seungsik didn’t need to know that. “Maybe that’s how they do things there. Maybe it brings back repeat customers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did buy a lot of peanuts,” he considered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m going to share these with my best friend,” Seungwoo said, shaking the bag. “He’s a bit squirrely already.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed brightly at that. “I would like to meet him then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Seungwoo asked, softened by the idea of Seungsik wanting to meet anyone in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like to meet someone you of all people would consider squirrely,” he teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” He shouted. “I am not your target!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you, though?” Seungsik asked, being too cheeky for his own good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Suddenly I am very tired,” he sighed, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That can’t be because of me,” he said, quite pleased with himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who else could make me this tired?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope no one,” Seungsik said before flushing. “I mean, I hope no one makes you tired at all. You’re supposed to be resting, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little bit, but this counts as resting,” he said. He felt quite warm again as he said it, and he wondered if just being around Seungsik could relax him and energize him at the same time, all the time. It was a theory he was excited to test.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should go to bed,” he suggested, and then he turned a much brighter shade of red once he realized what he had said. “Separately! We should both go to bed in our own beds in different apartments.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Seungwoo fake yawned with a big stretch to spare him. “I think so too. Goodnight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, goodnight,” he said hurriedly before rushing into his own apartment. Seungwoo smiled to himself with a giggle before sauntering off into his own like he was walking on a cloud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once inside, he reached up and patted himself on the chest where the ache that he had assumed was a nasty case of indigestion had been and smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So that’s what that is. I can live with that.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope everyone liked that little cameo 👀 that was the friendship that I mentioned in the chapter summary hehe</p><p>A note: the thing Seungsik got the call about could be triggering to a lot of people, and this isn’t that kind of fic, so I chose not to put it in I hope that was ok!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Like A Movie, Not Like A Movie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo makes plans.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Edit: Chapter Rewritten Aug. 12</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungwoo supposed that the ambiguous feeling in his chest meant that he had a crush for the first time in a very long time which under most circumstances, would have horrified him, but since Seungsik was the most deserving person in the whole world, he decided quickly that he could live with it until it went away naturally on its own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But if it didn’t, he supposed that would be okay too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a good night together, and he was happy that Seungsik had wanted to see him to reset himself, whatever that meant, but he was ready to let the butterflies in his stomach lift him up and carry him off to bed because he was exhausted. Like running into the wrong apartment exhausted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Back so soon?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo screamed and almost dropped the tomatoes and snacks he had in his hands from the shock. He looked up to find Chan sitting on his couch looking quite comfortable for someone who wasn’t supposed to be there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit, you scared me,” he said, pressing down against his pounding heart. “Is that my bathrobe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, where did you get this,” Chan said, tugging at the inner folds. “It’s nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was a birthday present,” he said with a sigh as he set his things down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I have it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Seungwoo said. “I thought we canceled.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Canceling plans seems so permanent,” Chan said. “I prefer to think of them as delayed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long have you been here,” he asked, knowing fully well never to question his logic any longer than he had to unless he wanted to torture himself on purpose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About an hour,” he said, hopping up on his knees. “Started that drama you recorded. Ten out of ten, would give Lee Seunggi my car if he asked. Hey, did you know you’re out of food?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Seungwoo said before plopping down next to him. He grabbed a decorative pillow that was shoved to the side and put it on Chan’s lap before laying down. “Please tell me you’re wearing underwear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not an animal,” he said, pretending to be offended.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please tell me you’re wearing </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> underwear,” he corrected himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You told me that whenever I come over I should make myself at home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo groaned. “Not like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There, there,” Chan said, patting his shoulder. “I know you’re tired, but let’s not project.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me not wanting you to wear my delicates is not a projection,” he grumbled, sitting back up. “That’s just being normal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why be normal, when you can be comfortable,” he asked. “But enough about me, how’d your date go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It went fine,” Seungwoo said. “But it wasn’t a date.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan hummed. “Is he okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He had some really bad shit happen at his job that he couldn’t talk about, but I think he’s feeling better,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good,” he said. “You’re good at taking care of people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked down and smiled. “I guess that’s why he came to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure that’s not the only reason,” he considered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but like, under the circumstances, I kind of do, you know? Weird guy shows up in your house, you don’t call the cops, you feed him a lot, and then he’s the first person you run to when you’re upset? Nah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you calling me weird,” Seungwoo asked, deflecting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you think it’s weird to come home and find someone else inside your apartment that you didn’t let in and not immediately want to chase them out of your life,” Chan pointed out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blinked pointedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That you don’t already know,” he added through his teeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo giggled and elbowed him. “I’m just kidding. I know it’s strange, but our situation is different, I guess. It’s complicated. It’s–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Love at first sight,” he sighed dramatically. “I get it! No one deserves a fairytale romance more than you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not like that,” Seungwoo said, but he couldn’t stop the smile from taking over his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bro, I was kidding, but look at you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t look at me,” he shrieked. He reached over and grabbed the pillow to cover himself before Chan could see how terribly his ears burned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, shit, I was just joking for real, but you,” he said. “Oh my god, how did you get like this! Who are you! What did he put in that chicken!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, I’m suffering enough as it is,” Seungwoo whined into the pillow. “You know how much this sucks for me? Tonight we saw a married couple in the park with a big dog and I thought </span>
  <em>
    <span>hey sure would be nice to have a big dog with my husband who I am married to </span>
  </em>
  <span>like some kind of delusional idiot!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of dog was it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it was a golden retriever,” he said, catching his breath. “His name was Toast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The married guy?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, the dog,” Seungwoo cried out. “The dog’s name was Toast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, that makes more sense,” he said. Seungwoo could feel himself getting dizzy trying to keep up with him. “Wait, so you do like him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little bit,” he admitted. “But you would too if you met him! Anyone would like him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure he’s a great guy,” Chan said, nodding. “So what are you going to do about it, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sighed. “I haven’t thought about it yet. I just came to this conclusion about seven seconds before you scared the shit out of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” he nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to tell him, I guess,” he said. “I should ask him out, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not,” Chan said, cutting the air with his arms in a giant X. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?!” Seungwoo said, shocked. “What else am I supposed to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan scrunched his face and shook his head. “If you jump in right now, you might back him into a corner. If he likes you, he might get scared off. If he doesn’t like you, he might get super uncomfortable. If he doesn’t know yet if he likes you or not, he might crack under pressure. We’ve gotta be smart about this. We’ve gotta figure out how he feels while simultaneously selling you as the sexiest most talented and smartest man in the whole universe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I am all of those things, but who’s we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think I came all this way just to stare at your empty refrigerator? Absolutely not. I came here to make dreams come true,” Chan announced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m getting a headache,” he said, rubbing his temples.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take an aspirin, baby, because we’re about to board the love train with a one way ticket to you town,” he said, making finger guns at him with a wink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hate this,” Seungwoo groaned in agony. “I hate this so much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As your best friend in the whole world, it is my responsibility, no, sworn duty to help you settle down with the guy across the hall who didn’t call the police when you broke into his home,” he said. “We can do this together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not going home, are you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan shifted in his seat and pouted. “But I already had a bath and everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are grown men. Did you really come all this way to talk about boys all night,” Seungwoo folded his arms across his chest and scowled. “You have work tomorrow!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know that,” he said, pouting some more like that was supposed to help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo rolled his head back on the sofa and sighed. “Alright, you can spend the night, but we’re not staying up late, I’m worn out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice!” Chan shouted. “I call the side of the bed farthest from the wall, though, I have to pee a lot at night, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who said we’re sharing a bed?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, were you going to sleep on the couch,” he asked with a bounce to test the cushion. “I mean it’s comfortable, but it’s not really going to be good for your back if you sleep here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it, we’re having a sleepover,” he swatted at him, annoyed. “You can sleep in my bed, but you have to wear pajamas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t bring any,” Chan said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo scowled again. “Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t I wear some of yours,” he asked, batting his eyelashes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ass too fat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan looked back at his own rump and frowned. “Oh, yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So that was how Seungwoo ended up staring at the ceiling all night while his best friend snored happily next to him with a body pillow wedged between them, but even if he couldn’t sleep yet like he wanted to, it gave him plenty of time to think and there was only one person he had on his mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he liked him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Great</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That was simple enough. He could handle having feelings, but if he had to act on them…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo wasn’t shy or a coward at all when it came to going after someone he liked, but the problem was, stealing someone away at a nightclub and getting lost in them in a sketchy ass bathroom was one thing, but there was the potential for a real, honest friendship here that he couldn’t risk blowing on his own careless whims. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Plus, Seungsik was stressed enough as it was, and if there was the chance that Seungwoo could make it worse by throwing him a curve ball, he would have to keep his feelings locked inside for the rest of his life, and also, if there was even the slightest chance that his friendship alone and nothing more was what Seungsik needed the most at the time, he most definitely wouldn’t jeopardize that for some fantasy Seungwoo may have shared all by himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, he had to be smart, and he had to be careful, but if he wanted to be with him, he was going to have to be especially convincing. It only took him a day to convince himself of how much he wanted him, but he was willing to take his time and do whatever it took to get Seungsik on board with it too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan tried his best to come up with ideas, but everything he said sounded like an elaborate movie plot with earpieces and glorified snooping, but Seungwoo wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>court</span>
  </em>
  <span> him. If he was going to make Seungsik feel like he was living in a movie, he wanted to make him feel like the main character of a vintage old black and white film without any antics or schemes. He wanted to create a bubble for him that made him feel as special as he was without pushing him into a situation where he felt like there was a large spotlight hanging over him. So like a movie, but not like a movie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he also had to figure out if it was possible for Seungsik to like him first, and that was all too complicated to work out in a single night even if his ceiling made for an excellent invisible blackboard. He could do this. He just had to be smart, and he had to be patient. He could convince him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least he hoped he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But something about the idea of convincing him or chasing after him at all didn’t sit right in his stomach. He wasn’t nervous technically, but the apprehension was there enough that he recognized it as a warning from his conscience.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At some point while he was thinking about making the pretty boy across the hall fall in love with him, he fell asleep, and while he was dreaming, he came up with the answer he needed that he would never tell Chan because he knew he would think he was being cowardly, but Seungwoo had to trust himself. He was just going to set his own feelings and plans aside and be there for Seungsik and let him come to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was the only way he would get to be with him, and when he woke up, he was filled with a calm peace that told him that he had made the right decision. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He awoke alone with Chan off to work some time earlier in the morning. He had slept in again too long and was absolutely starving, but when he made his way into his kitchen, he discovered that all of his snacks that he had bought the night before had been gobbled up with his tomatoes left behind for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn it, Chan,” he said under his breath. He was going to give him the snacks anyway, but he was hungry enough that he felt like he had to curse him for eating them all without him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik was right. He should have bought groceries, but that gave him an idea. He went back to his room and unplugged his phone from the charger and swiped to his messages to find the one he had sent himself the night before.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: hey i’m the worst x.x i have a question to ask you</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo anxiously waited for a few minutes for Seungsik to respond, assuming he was on a call. He wondered how many emergencies he had to deal with a day and suddenly felt terrible for bothering him with something so unimportant.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: hey! I was just thinking about you ^^ what’s up?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: i’m the worst neighbor in the world i know you’re super busy but you know how i forgot to buy groceries? do you happen to have any of our pizza left…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: OH SHIT yeah there’s like half of it left in there omg go get it please</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: are you sure? 👀 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: yeah it’s yours lol actually eat whatever you want i don’t care</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: that’s ok i’ll just grab the pizza but thank you :3</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: if there’s not a suspicious dent in my fridge when i get home i’m going to be very upset :c</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: NO!!!! don’t say that you’ll break my heart</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: :’c !!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: WAIT NO</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: LOL I’m kidding but help yourself ok? how are you feeling? how’s your stomach…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: it’s fine now :3 how are you* feeling today? are your calls okay?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: nothing too bad yet tbh the usual aches and pains and dumpster fires</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: god you’re cool</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: LOL SHUT UP</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: &gt;:D</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: i’m rolling my eyes at my desk right now i want you to know</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: i wish i could see it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: 😳 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: just saying lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: arent you supposed to be raiding my fridge again</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: now wait just a minute</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: ❤️ </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: oop gotta get back to work :c</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: HAVE A GOOD DAY!!! i’ll be here if you need anything </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hugged his phone to his chest and smiled, overwhelmed by all of the new feelings he had brewing inside of him that most certainly weren’t from indigestion, but all of those emotions came to a quick halt the moment his stomach reminded him that he needed to eat something that wasn’t the two big mushy tomatoes on his counter that somehow felt like a metaphor, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on for what yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Going to Seungsik’s apartment was nerve wracking enough as it was, but the idea of going over there when Seungsik wasn’t even home felt so foreign to him that he couldn’t believe he was actually doing it. But it wasn’t like he was going over there for anything weird. He was just going to get his pizza that he forgot about for two nights in a row.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So why he was in his bathroom combing his hair first and putting on a little spritz of his favorite cologne to walk into an empty apartment just to grab a pizza, he had no idea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After getting cleaned up and dressed to go on his little errand, Seungwoo headed across the hall into Seungsik’s apartment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was cold again like the first time he went inside, but now that he knew that that was just what Seungsik was used to, he didn’t seem to mind as much. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All the lights were off and it was eerily quiet making the place a little bit too spooky for his liking. He flipped on a switch and carefully stepped inside, closing the door behind him so that he wouldn’t make too much noise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungsik,” he called out, knowing he wasn’t home yet, but if he was for some reason, sneaking in would have been twice as weird, but with no answer, he let himself in like he was supposed to be there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. The pizza box was on the top shelf and still had a few slices left in it. Taking them all felt wrong since Seungsik had paid for it, so he decided to wrap a couple slices in a paper towel before going back to his own place instead of swiping the whole box. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he left though, he took a chocolate energy bar that was all too tempting from a box in the cupboard (that he was totally not snooping in while looking for the roll of paper towels) since Seungsik offered because he could have used the extra boost of energy to get him through the day until he…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How am I going to trick him into spending the night with me again,” Seungwoo said to himself, and by night he meant the reasonable evening hours before bedtime, and by him he meant Seungsik and not Chan. He looked at the energy bar in his palm and tore back the foil wrapper to take a bite.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo grabbed his phone to send another message to thank him and ask him to spend more time with him, and he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> close to chickening out, but a quick notification beat him to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: did you eat</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: i stole an energy bar &gt;.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: “stole” lol i’m gonna take inventory when i get back and if all my food is still there i’m gonna come over and scold you</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: promise? </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: oh my god</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: hehehe</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: i’m serious take the containers if you want it’s not like it would be hard for me to get them back</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: and please go grocery shopping!!!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: did you text me just to fuss at me :c</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: no… i just wanted to make sure you were taken care of</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: i’m taken care of quite well thank you very much</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: yeah well get used to it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: lol you bring out the competitive side of me</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: what does that mean lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: what time do you get off work?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: i should be back around 6 why</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: i told you i’m competitive and taking care of people is my middle name</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: do you want me to make that your name in my phone</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: “guy who takes care of me” has a nice ring to it doesn’t it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: but not quite as charming as “deranged onion man”</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: i think i will need TWO energy bars now tHANK YOU !!!!!!!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: hehe are you mad at meee</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: yes &gt;c let me know when you get back - if you’re too tired, i’ll put off my super amazing Take Care Of Seungsik Better Than He Takes Care Of Me plans for another time c:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: when you put it like that, how could i possibly say no</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: you can’t :) thank you for the pizza now get back to work before you get in trouble</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: i’m on my lunch break tho :c why the hurry</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: oh lol my bad what are you eating</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: i have a feast of potato chips here you should be jealous</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: all of this healthy food here and you eat junk at work i’m sick</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: i slept in haha too tired from all the walking</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: tonight i promise we’ll only walk a little bit c:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: oh? we’re going somewhere?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: say no if you want out</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: :x</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: so is that a yes then? you’ll go with me?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: will you tell me what we’re doing?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: i will when you get home lol if you tell me it sucks now i’ll be sad all day</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: LOL! alright i trust you i’ll see you in a few hours </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: back to work?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: yes :c</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: bye bye!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: bye! ❤️ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo smiled to himself and shuffled back and forth on his feet. Seungsik agreed to spend the night with him again </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> said he trusted him </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> sent him a heart when he said goodbye. A match made in heaven, he thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now all he had to do was get everything together and planned before Seungsik came home so he could do something special for him, but he wasn't quite sure yet how much he needed to do on his own or how much he needed to do with Seungsik there with him for everything to work out like he wanted it to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a lot to consider and only about six hours to get everything sorted out, but he could make it work. He had a slice of pizza, an energy bar, and a heart emoji from Seungsik. He could do anything.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. A Date, Sort Of</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo finally goes grocery shopping.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am no longer in control of this story.</p><p>Edit: Chapter Rewritten Aug 12.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungwoo finished his lunchtime text conversation with Seungsik and returned to his own apartment. Once inside, he practiced his new ritual of becoming an earthworm by throwing himself down on his bed and rolling himself into the sheets. There, he upgraded himself from a simple neighborhood earthworm to a fluffy uptown caterpillar soon to be reborn as a beautiful and majestic butterfly that was, to scale, significantly larger than the seemingly identical butterfly that set up shop right below his sternum.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had a date. He had a date with Seungsik. Sort of. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>a date because they hadn’t really talked about if that was a thing they did together or not (and also because neither one of them officially asked the other out, like, at all), but it didn’t matter because for the third night in a row, he had confirmed plans with Seungsik. Sort of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The big </span>
  <em>
    <span>sort of </span>
  </em>
  <span>was that there was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>get out of jail free </span>
  </em>
  <span>card on the table, and he had made it clear that Seungsik was allowed to use it because it was possible that Seungwoo’s idea was terrible. It was also possible that Seungsik would be too tired to go through with it, and he didn’t want to drag him along against his will. He made sure he gave him an easy way out if he wanted it, but he just happened to hope deep in his heart that Seungsik wouldn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought, with that little extra dose of hope, that once he told him what he had planned for them, Seungsik would easily say yes because it suited him. It suited both of them, actually. In his opinion, his date idea for the evening made more sense for them than going out to the movies or heading to a nightclub together, but still he was nervous because if Seungsik said no, it would probably crush him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could worry about facing rejection later because first he had to get everything ready so that he didn’t waste any of the poor guy’s time. Every minute counted with them, but he couldn’t explain why. He felt like he was haunted by a ticking clock that followed him around all day and watched over him while he slept, and every moment he spent away from Seungsik made the clock tick louder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But with no time to have an existential crisis about his own feelings, he busied himself, and a few hours later after all the prep work he had to do was finished, Seungwoo was ready to collapse and sleep for the next twelve hours, but a friendly text from a neighbor brought him back to life.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: hey i just got home</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: oh good! was work ok?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: it was fine ^^</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: how tired are you 👀 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: that depends lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: on what lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: on what you want to do lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>what’s the standard for too much</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>i will have to say no to rock climbing</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i promise it’s not rock climbing lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>then the odds might be pretty good 👀 what is it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: hmmmmm</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: if you dont mind let me know when i can stop by so i can proposition you in person</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: i’m good right now come by whenever you want </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked at his phone and gawked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now?!” he said out loud. “Oh god. Oh god. Don’t panic, Snoo. It’s not a real date. It’s fine. You can do this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t matter if it was a real date or not because just seeing him was enough to turn Seungwoo into a fumbling puddle of nerves, and he had expected to have a certain amount of time after Seungsik got home to prepare to go over there. Like at least twenty minutes. Not immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You had all day, stupid. Go get him before he changes his mind.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Seungwoo said. He was running out of daylight and had to respect that Seungsik was at work all day and would want to go to bed at a reasonable hour that night so he needed to get off his ass and get over there before he came off as someone who didn’t care about his health at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave himself a quick check in the mirror to make sure he didn’t have anything hanging out of his nose or wedged in his teeth before finally heading over. He knocked firmly on the door instead of letting himself in, and a few moments later, Seungsik opened it for him still in his work clothes but not as tired as he was the night before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Seungwoo said in lieu of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>you look better</span>
  </em>
  <span> lingering on his tongue. Although he did have the after work fatigue hanging over him, the shadows were gone and the lines around his mouth were replaced with soft cheekies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he said back, a breathlessness to his voice like he had been running a marathon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” Seungwoo asked. He stepped forward to check on him, removing any space they had between them. He wasn’t sure why it happened, but his own hand moved instinctively to his neck to check for his pulse. It raced, but that could have just been from the shock from the sudden approach. “Sorry, I have a friend who gets sick a lot. It’s a habit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he said, a little confused as he idly touched the place on his neck where Seungwoo’s fingers had been. “I was just out of breath from running to the door.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he laughed, relieved. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Duh</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a good habit to have though,” Seungsik laughed. “At least I know you know how to check for a pulse now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m also very good at reading temperatures,” he said. “I can spot a fever from a mile away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you,” he asked, amused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” Seungwoo hummed with a confident smile before placing the back of his hand on Seungsik’s forehead. “Hmmm, you’re kind of warm, but I think that’s just your personality.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop,” he cried out with a giggle, swatting him away. “You’re ridiculous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m right though,” Seungwoo said with a wide grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked down at his feet and smiled. “So, do you want to come in and tell me your mysterious plans?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t it be better to ask you out here so if you say no, I won’t have far to go to leave,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could still stay…,” he shuffled. “I mean, staying in is always an option if we can’t go out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s exactly what I had in mind,” Seungwoo clapped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was kind of hoping,” he started awkwardly. “Since you fed me so much and took me out for a walk, I could make it up to you by making you dinner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Seungsik asked, surprised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s just one thing you might hate,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was also kind of hoping you would go grocery shopping with me,” he said, straining. Seungsik looked at him and blinked, and Seungwoo immediately wished he never had the idea in the first place because of course it was the worst idea ever known to man. Why in the world would anyone want to go grocery shopping on purpose? Especially when they didn’t have to. “But if you don’t want to, I totally understand because I wouldn’t want to go with me either. I can go by myself and come back and make you dinner in like an hour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik’s straight face didn’t break. “You forgot to go grocery shopping again, didn’t you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Seungwoo insisted. “I was going to, but then I thought that I would ask you first and then maybe go together. Because I thought it would be fun. But I see now that it is not fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He broke out into a bright smile. “Sure, that sounds like fun. I can get changed first, though, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he said, thrilled that Seungsik said yes. “You can go in your pajamas if you want, I don’t mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” he coughed and looked around the hall to make sure no one was around. “I don’t really own any pajamas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Seungwoo said. “Ah! Oh. Got it. Uh, sweats are fine too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed. “I’ll go find some sweatpants then. You wanna come in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo realized he was standing in the doorway like a creepy old vampire, but in his defense, he had been patiently waiting to get chased away for his terrible not-a-date date idea so it was only logical that part of him (or most of him) remained in the hall. “Sure, if that’s okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik stepped aside to let him, and for some reason, following him in like this brought in a new kind of wave of nerves. Seungwoo was a guest? In this man’s home? Like Seungsik was showing him in? What if he offered him a glass of water or a plate of those tiny sandwiches?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want something to drink?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo paled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Can he read my mind? Oh god he knows I like him. We’re done, kid, pack it up. He knows!</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungwoo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you were talking to me,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh-who else would I be talking to,” Seungsik asked, looking around his empty apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo swallowed. “You could have been thinking out loud.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at him and smiled softly, amused, and shook his head. “Do you want something to drink?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” is what he would have said if his suddenly dry throat didn’t catch the words in a pathetic cough. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like you could use something to drink,” he baited him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” Seungwoo said through his teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just a sip?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m going to go by myself now, thank you,” he pouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you can’t,” he laughed and reached out to cup his hands around his bicep. “We all know you can’t be trusted to go by yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s we,” he squeaked, more so from the warm grip around his arm than from the accusation itself. “I’m sure my track record is indisputable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is, just not in your favor,” he teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked at him and blinked. “I’ll get you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any my little dog too?” His hands darted to Seungwoo’s sides to give him a sharp, petulant squeeze before he ran off to his room to get changed like an excited child. Seungwoo had half a mind to chase him, but something held him back. Probably the last shred of sense he had left after falling so hard so fast, but that was neither here nor there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come back here,” he called out as a fake threat, but he found himself walking towards his favorite couch in the whole world instead of chasing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t,” he shouted. “I’m changing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hurry up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You hurry up,” Seungsik said from the bedroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo coughed and stuttered through a dry throat. “Wh-what’s that supposed to mean?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing!” Seungsik shouted, and Seungwoo didn’t ask for more. He most definitely was not allowed to think about going in there while Seungsik changed clothes. That was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>on the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik opened the door and smoothed out the sweater he wore. It was a soft beige with a red stripe across the middle like the designer meant to create a guide for arms to wrap around the wearer for warmth. He looked much cozier than he had the night before, but Seungwoo suspected that after their chilly heart to heart in the park, Seungsik had learned his lesson. Seungwoo never brought it up again, though, and resigned himself to not draw more attention to the moment than it already had to have. He was just glad he had been there to keep him warm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look great,” Seungwoo said, forgetting what they were talking about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked down at himself with a puzzled expression. “Thanks, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo shook himself, realizing how strange that must have been to hear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I mean, you look soft,” he tried, but based on the eyebrow raise he received, that wasn’t the right word to go with. “You know, like cozy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, I’m actually pretty in shape under this thing,” he joked, tugging at the bottom. “I know that’s probably hard to believe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I know,” he laughed, and Seungsik flushed, causing him to panic. “No! Not that I’ve been looking or anything, but I just happened to notice yesterday. That you were pretty in shape.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” he said, giving himself a gentle smack on the forehead. “I forgot you were here when I got out of the shower.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo folded his arms across his chest and pretended to pout, taking advantage of the moment to cover up for how hard he had been fumbling since he got there. “I can’t believe you forgot I was here already.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed brightly and walked across the apartment to smack him in the arm. “I didn’t forget you, but I don’t know, it feels like yesterday was a lifetime ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo felt a pang of sadness for him that he covered up with a bigger, more exaggerated pout and a huff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re such a baby,” he nagged playfully. “God, I just want to squeeze your lips and–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked at him in surprise. “You wanna finish your sentence?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No thank you,” he mumbled, shifting his eyes away from him. Seungwoo broke into a soft smile that he did everything he could to force back, but luckily Seungsik was too embarrassed to look up at him to see the way he looked at him. To be fair, Seungwoo didn’t care if he saw him or knew what that look meant, he just didn’t want him to ask him about it. If Seungsik figured out how he felt on his own, that would have been fine with him though, maybe even better. “We should get going.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” Seungsik said, quickly moving past him. “Let’s go before all the food is gone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At the grocery store?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up,” he said, earning a mischievous giggle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think they sell lip balm? Mine are all chapped from all the squeezing,” Seungwoo teased. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I liked you better when you were deranged,” he said, opening the door and propelling himself out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are you going,” he called out with a giggle, still in Seungsik’s apartment as the door closed between them. He skipped forward and opened it to follow him, stopping to make sure that it was locked before they left and chased after him. “Come back!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time he caught up with him, both were out of breath. Seungsik from power walking down a flight of stairs and Seungwoo from giggling and sauntering behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t follow me,” he pretended to be cross.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No talky, he angey,” Seungwoo said in a baby voice before grabbing Seungsik’s hand. He pulled him to his side so they could walk together, a gesture too bold but yet seemingly appropriate at the moment, given the current atmosphere. Seungsik looked down at their clasped hands in surprise and back up at him. “You walk too fast, I have to hold onto you so I don’t lose you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungwoo asked, resisting the urge to bury his nose in his neck as they walked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> deranged,” he wailed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you wanna go back home,” he offered, just in case he was starting to feel overwhelmed by him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you I liked you better this way,” Seungsik said, giving him a faithful squeeze. “Now, please tell me you made a list.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I made a list,” he lied, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you,” Seungsik eyed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t trust me?” Seungwoo gasped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me see it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said. “Grocery lists are private.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, they aren’t,” he laughed. “Let me see it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if I have private things on there,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t I see you put them in the basket?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked around for an answer like it was going to appear in a shop window, but to his luck, his own get out of jail free card was found in the glow of a little green man at the corner of the street. “Look! We’ve gotta hurry up and cross the street before the light turns!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Seungsik shouted as Seungwoo dragged him across the crosswalk as an elaborate distraction. They made it to the other side, and their hands broke apart as Seungsik took the chance to swat at him. “We could have waited for the next light!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo laughed loudly and hurried away towards the grocery store, capturing the attention of a few passersby who found the sight of them to be quite amusing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungwoo,” Seungsik cried out. “Han Seungwoo!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo stopped, turned around, and put his hands on his hips. “Are you coming or what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waited for Seungsik to catch up with him who took his sweet time closing the space on the block between him. Something about the way he walked towards him made Seungwoo’s heart stop. He wanted to meet him halfway, wrap his arms around his shoulders, and pull him into a long hug, tight against his chest. In those few seconds, he saw him kissing his temple and nuzzling his cheek while Seungsik whined about how annoying he was, and he almost let himself believe that that could be his reality one day until that familiar pang of indigestion hit so hard he almost threw up on the sidewalk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong,” Seungsik asked when he approached, noticing the change in his expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I got too silly there for a minute,” he said. “I’m going to try to be more normal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Normal isn’t fun,” he shook his head. “If you don’t chase me down the street at some point with an onion in hand, I might get my feelings hurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I chase you down the street at some point with an onion in hand, I might go to jail,” Seungwoo considered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, that’s true,” he said, taking Seungwoo’s hand back in his like they were supposed to walk together like that. “Welp, while we’re here, might as well find something else to be silly about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked down at their hands and raised an eyebrow, ignoring the pounding in his own chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You run off too much, I have to hold onto you so I won’t lose you,” he explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if that’s possible,” Seungwoo said softly, and Seungsik looked back at him with large, confused eyes at the statement. “You know, since it’s a grocery store.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” he laughed. “Alright, what’s first on your list you forgot to make.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did not forget,” Seungwoo said as the two of them stepped into the store, but the bright lights in contrast to the dim world outside made Seungwoo’s eyes ache. He basically needed everything, but where to start, he had no idea. “Bread?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can start with bread and work our way back across the store,” Seungsik agreed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They grabbed a shopping cart and started from the far right side of the store where the bakery was. Seungwoo grabbed a soft loaf for sandwiches or morning toast and a baguette for his special dinner for Seungsik.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this a clue,” he asked. “Are you making pasta?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not making pasta,” Seungwoo said, pushing the cart to the next location. “Unless that’s what you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d rather be surprised,” he said, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why are you guessing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I’d rather be clever,” Seungsik said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” he laughed. “I promise to not change what I’m making, but I won’t tell you anything unless you guess it right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” he said, satisfied. “Can I ask a question for a hint, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps,” Seungwoo nodded sagely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does it have anything to do with those tomatoes you bought that are about to go bad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It might,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And it’s not pasta?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pretty sure it’s not pasta,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I won’t be boiling any water to make pasta,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” Seungsik said, twisting his mouth. “That’s all I’ve got right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You might get it before we’re done,” he encouraged him. “We’re coming up on another clue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” He said, suddenly interested again. “What’s that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They approached a display with expensive cheeses and other specialty dairy products, and Seungwoo picked up a plastic container filled with a crumbly goat’s milk cheese. He handed it to Seungsik who gave the container a light shake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo threw his head back and laughed. “This isn’t a bingo game, the answer isn’t going to come out if you shake it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was hoping to find some inspiration,” he explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did it work?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you making some kind of tomato toast with cheese on top,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He huffed. “Damn it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you want that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I just thought I figured it out,” he admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re close,” Seungwoo said. “I’m probably making something in the middle of both of your guesses.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh,” he said, intrigued. “Are you making pasta out of cut up pieces of bread?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” He said brightly. “You’ve gotta have a little faith in me.”</span>
</p><p><span>“What part of </span><em><span>man with no food in his fridge</span></em> <em><span>for almost a week claims to be an excellent cook</span></em><span> makes sense to you,” Seungsik poked him.</span></p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I never claimed to be excellent,” Seungwoo defended himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, but I have this standard for you in my head, and it’s too late to change it,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m really not that deranged,” he said back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not exactly the image I had in mind,” Seungsik said quietly, but before Seungwoo had the chance to ask him what he meant, Seungsik bolted away towards a cookie display. “Oh! I love these. I should pick up a box since we’re here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hummed and took the box out of his hand to pretend to examine the contents before placing it in his own cart. Seungsik looked at him confused, but he was already ready to explain himself. “I’m getting these for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why,” he asked, incredulous. “I can get my own snacks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanna get them for you, and if you try to stop me, I’ll just buy you more,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of a threat is that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if me promising to buy you the cookies you like is supposed to be a threat,” Seungwoo said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess you’re right,” he sighed and looked away awkwardly. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So does that change your mental image of me,” he asked, suspicious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not at all.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for the short chapter! My brain is a little fried so I’m hoping to put more of their date into the next one, but I hope you enjoyed it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Kind of Person</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo and Seungsik share a third meal together.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I AM JUST A THIRD WHEEL!!!!!!</p><p>Edit: Chapter Reposted Aug. 13</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungwoo was right. Grocery shopping did suit them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Normally it was a task he hated, but the company made the trip worth it even if his wallet took a hit. That wasn't Seungsik’s fault, though. It was Seungwoo’s impulsive need to purchase everything the other liked that truly depleted his funds, but it was fine. He could work overtime in the coming week if he had to because it was worth seeing his favorite neighbor in the whole world turn into a giddy fool over chocolates and pastries. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For someone who had a shelf full of health books and spent half of their grocery trip stuffing Seungwoo’s cart with greens and supplements, insisting that Seungwoo needed them to live longer, he sure had one hell of a sweet tooth, but seeing the way he warmly eyed the junk food that Seungwoo added to the cart for him was a pleasant surprise that warmed his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked home together leisurely, strolling under the streetlamps that filled the sidewalk with soft pools of light, and it was like a scene from a musical with a happy ending and too many smiling faces that would dance around them as he confessed… something. He might have broken out into song himself if he were the type of person to do so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though the world at that moment was perfect for dancing, he was too tired to properly get any wild ideas about it, but Seungsik was the one who looked worse for wear. He looked like he was in another world but not in a good way, and it snapped Seungwoo out of the fantasy that he had created in his mind as they walked together. Seungsik stared out in front him, his eyes unfocused, with a soft frown on his lips, and it was too much to ignore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed inquisitively and looked at him, startled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have to do this tonight,” he said once he got his attention. “I mean, I’ll cook for you any night you want, but if you’re tired…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not tired,” Seungsik said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you lying,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed. “A little bit, but if you want to cancel, I understand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, of course not,” he insisted. “I just kind of bombarded you with these plans, and I don’t want you to feel like I backed you into a corner when I would never…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t,” Seungsik interrupted him quickly. “I was looking forwa- I wanted to go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo felt a jump in his chest and looked down at the box in his arms and smiled. He wished Seungsik had said what he was going to, but he was happy to take what he could get. It was a sign that a part of him wanted to see him too, and that was enough to make his heart do things that nothing else could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just want you to be comfortable,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am comfortable,” Seungsik said. “Besides, it’s only Tuesday. I’m not that tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s true,” he said. “It’s only Tuesday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had only met a few days before, but it felt like he had been in his life for a lifetime. But he had, hadn’t he? They had been in proximity to each other for years unknowingly which may have attributed to this closeness, but something felt too warm with him like Seungsik was the low kindling fire that kept Seungwoo safe in the winter, and he wanted to return that feeling in any way he could. He knew he was overreaching, but deep in the back of his mind, he knew he had to be there for him. It felt like he had been placed in Seungsik’s life to get him through these moments of exhaustion, and he was more than happy to try his best to do so. Their sudden closeness might have been inevitable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I ask you something,” Seungsik said, startling him in return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he said, a little disoriented from thinking too much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you cooking if it’s not pasta?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo laughed much harder than he meant to, catching the attention of few nearby pedestrians who heeded them both with caution. He nodded at them politely, a bit embarrassed, and turned his attention back to Seungsik. “I told you it’s a secret.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But we’re almost there and I guessed everything,” he said, poking his bottom lip out into a pout.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did not guess everything,” he said. “And remember, if you don’t like it, you can order anything you want. On me. My treat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel like I’m being spoiled,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just merely returning the favor after you rescued me the other night from starvation,” Seungwoo said modestly. “What are friends for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik smiled to himself. “You would have done the same thing if you were in my shoes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm,” he said. “A pretty man was in my kitchen in distress, hungry, and confused. What was I supposed to do, say no?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think I’m pretty,” Seungwoo asked, grinning playfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Objectively speaking,” he started awkwardly. “You might be the prettiest person I’ve ever met.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo felt himself blush, but he just couldn’t help himself. He had to push for more while he had the chance. “What about unobjectively?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are the prettiest person I’ve ever met,” Seungsik said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s difficult then,” he sighed, and for a moment, a wave of regret washed over Seungsik’s face like he had said too much, and Seungwoo was determined to remove that regret immediately because there was no way he could have ever done so. “Because you’re the prettiest person </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ve</span>
  </em>
  <span> ever met.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik coughed, thrown off guard, and laughed. “You’re not being objective.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik blinked quickly, flustered, and laughed softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does that mean I’m your type,” he asked, emphasizing that he was joking by the way he tilted his head and smiled too widely, but the question made Seungwoo feel brave. A little too brave, perhaps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so,” Seungwoo said. “Yeah, I think if I had a type, you would be the standard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The standard,” he repeated. “I’ve never felt so much pressure. Or like a store display.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should get used to it,” he teased. “Everyone has to live up to you now because I won’t accept anything less.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about the real thing,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I–,” Seungwoo started, but the phone ringing against his leg stopped him from saying anything he might have regretted. He shifted awkwardly, unable to set the box of groceries in his arms down, but a call that late might have been important. “Shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you need me to get it,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your hands are full too,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that heavy,” Seungsik said, leaning back to prop the box up against his chest, cradling it with one arm to free the other. “Where is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My back pocket,” Seungwoo said, turning around so he could grab it for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” he mumbled as he lifted his sweater up, exposing Seungwoo’s back to the evening chill. A cold hand touched the skin briefly as he felt down to the waistband, careful not to feel around too much and overstep his boundaries even if he had permission to take it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he assured him, his voice catching in his throat. The phone continued to ring, and Seungsik hurried so he wouldn’t miss the call.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A hand clumsily wedged itself down in the pocket sleeve, and Seungwoo grimaced out of view, kicking himself for wearing something without shallow pockets, but in his defense, he didn’t know someone else’s hand was going to need to go back down there for him. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Sorry</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You get it?” Seungwoo asked, hearing the phone ring louder. “Who is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned around to see him frowning at the screen slightly, but not enough that it should have been noticed. “Dearest Husband.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>That little weas-</span>
  </em>
  <span> that’s my best friend,” he said with a laugh and murderous intent aimed towards a certain bathrobe stealing fiend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Seungsik relaxed. “You want me to…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Could you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik swiped the screen and held the phone to Seungwoo’s ear rather than answering it himself. Both avoided eye contact as they were shoved together for the same of a phone call. Seungsik leaned away with the box weighted against his chest, and Seungwoo could tell he was uncomfortable so he had to make it quick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chan, you changed your name in my phone again,” he said through his teeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It felt appropriate,” he said casually. Seungwoo rolled his eyes. “Are you busy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m not busy,” Seungwoo said out of habit. Seungsik looked down and blinked. He quickly corrected himself. “I mean, yeah, I’m busy. I’m with my neighbor, the one I told you about, yeah? Is something wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, Seungsik, right?” Chan said loudly over the phone for the whole world to hear. Seungwoo coughed to cover him up, but he was sure Seungsik hadn’t heard anything based on how his expression hadn’t changed. “Is this a date?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no,” he chimed. “I’m just going to make us dinner. We’re actually on our way back from the grocery store now so if you don’t mi-.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The grocery store! Wow, things are moving fast! Have you talked about moving in toge-.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oof, gotta go, these boxes are heavy,” Seungwoo said. He looked at Seungsik and raised his eyebrows as a sign to end the call. “Bye!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik took the phone away and hung up on Chan for him. “Do you want me to put it back-.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you hold onto it for me,” he asked, struggling with the weight in his arms. “I shouldn’t have bought so much meat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s good to stock up for winter,” Seungsik nodded. “In May…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo was about to threaten to fight him, but all he could do was laugh in shame as he held his dragon’s hoard of freezer fodder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your friend seems nice,” Seungsik said, changing the subject before he could say anything. “Is that the one I heard last night? Not that I was being creepy, I just heard you two talking last night when I went to take my garbage out. Oh god, I’m being creepy aren’t I? Oh my god.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo swallowed, more worried that Seungsik had heard him and Chan talking about him all night like a couple of school kids with a bad crush on the class president than the concept of Seungsik being any sort of creepy at all. “No! You’re not creepy! We can be kind of loud… I hope we didn’t keep you up. You couldn’t really hear us though, right? You know so I can make sure we keep it down next time…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t hear anything,” he said quickly, his eyes darting away. “I really wasn’t listening! It was just two voices so I assumed you had company. Guess you had company.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Seungwoo said nervously. “Sorry, he’s a bit…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Enthusiastic?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Insane,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he laughed back. “Yeah, my friends can be a bit… you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I guess I do,” Seungwoo said, hanging his head as they resumed their walk home. “He’s crazy so if you ever hear him say anything…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I didn’t hear anything,” Seungsik nodded in agreement. “Got it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he said quietly with a smile. Seungsik hadn’t heard anything, and therefore he was safe from any rogue questions such as </span>
  <em>
    <span>do you like me</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>where can I send the restraining order</span>
  </em>
  <span>. There wasn’t a single indication at all that Seungwoo had abruptly developed feelings for him, and that was exactly how it had to be for the time being until…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until he worked up the courage to say so himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So like we were saying,” Seungsik started. Seungwoo’s stomach dropped as his heart simultaneously jumped up into his throat. He had forgotten all about the words on the tip of his tongue before he got the phone call, and at that point any wild nerve he had had been long lost by the fear of being discovered. But discovery was nigh. “I’m not too tired, if you’re not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Seungwoo said, relieved. “I thought you were- right. Good! We should have dinner then!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pasta right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not pasta,” he cried out. “I promise!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik let out an exaggerated sigh. “Alright, I’ll wait. You win.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are literally one block from our building,” he said. “What do you think you’re waiting for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed and looked off in the distance. “I’m not sure yet…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess we’ll both find out soon,” Seungwoo said, but he wasn’t sure they were talking about dinner anymore. But maybe that was just him…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They continued on until they made it to the building and headed up to their floor. Seungwoo pressed his knee to the door to balance the box in his hands against his thigh while he reached for the lock box. He punched in the code with his thumb blindly, hoping he picked the right pads before it opened for him on the first try. He turned the knob and pushed through, holding the door with his back so Seungsik could slide past him first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was dark in the apartment, and they were left in a pitch black void as soon as the door closed behind him. He felt the wall with his elbow for the hall switch to no avail while Seungsik left him behind and set his own box down in the kitchen before turning on a light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same layout,” he explained from the other room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo followed behind and set his box down next to his. “Oh, right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want some help putting these up,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You relax,” he said, brushing himself off and taking back his phone. “I’ll take care of everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to do something with my hands,” he said as he shuffled from heel to heel. “Unless you care where things go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really,” Seungwoo laughed. “Cold stuff in the fridge, warm stuff on the shelves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik drew his brows together in determination and nodded once. “Got it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should get cooking then,” Seungwoo mumbled, trying not to show how much he liked watching Seungsik arrange his kitchen for him. Even if he didn’t realize he was doing it, Seungsik was moving things to where he liked them, and it gave Seungwoo a little bit of the insight into him that he secretly craved. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rice went next to the cereal because it was a grain, no doubt, but the ramen went next to the health bars (Seungwoo liked the ones at Seungsik’s apartment so much that he bought a box for himself) because they were both mood boosters. The yogurt drinks went into the door where they were easy to grab, but the case of beer went on the bottom shelf just out of reach to discourage bad habits. Seungsik rinsed off the vegetables and fruits they bought before putting them in the crisper so, he said, that Seungwoo wouldn’t have to do it later whenever he got hungry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every action had a purpose that was both obvious and rational as well as something Seungwoo would have never purposely considered for himself as someone who usually organized things by size rather than by any discernible category. It was a nice change even if he would never remember the order again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Seungwoo could only watch him so much before it got weird so he had to hurry up and start dinner before it became obvious what he was doing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first thing he did was dice a small onion and a few cloves of garlic and throw them in a pan with some olive oil. He cooked them down on a low heat while he sliced the tomatoes he had bought from the market along with a red pepper from the store, and once the onions had softened enough, he tossed them in and turned up the heat, giving them a stir to cook down the juices.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That smells good,” Seungsik said, happy. “Like pasta sauce.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not pasta,” he said in a loud whine. “Really!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” he sighed. “It’s not pasta.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik pulled back a stool to sit on and propped up on the counter on his elbows, watching him intently like an eager customer waiting for his food.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you like something to drink,” he asked, happy to give him anything he wanted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s on the menu,” Seungsik asked playfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have… let me see,” Seungwoo said as he went to the fridge to see what all they had bought. “We have apple juice, yogurt, banana milk, cola, beer, water, and the wine we bought earlier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik scrunched up his nose. Seungwoo knew the answer already, and he could have just gone ahead and found the corkscrew, but he kind of enjoyed making him squirm to ask a little too much. Seungwoo leaned towards him over the counter that separated them and smiled mischievously. Seungsik squinted knowingly and looked away, a little timid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you in the mood for,” Seungsik deflected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you want,” Seungwoo said, most unhelpfully. He looked back at him, unoblivious to what he was doing, and scrunched his whole face up into an aggravated pout that Seungwoo found particularly puppy-like. “Water after a long day? Couldn’t have picked better myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed, incredulous. “It’s good to stay hydrated.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is,” Seungwoo agreed as he reached up into the cabinet above them for two wine glasses. They were stout and stemless, and he had won the set at an office party raffle for guessing the capitals of a few random countries the fastest in his whole department. He never had a reason to use them until before, but it was a special occasion, wasn’t it? Their third dinner together in a week. It was practically their anniversary. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungsik asked, noting the smile that crept up on his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was just thinking to myself,” he said, giving the glasses a quick wash in the sink. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is the third meal we’ve shared together,” Seungwoo said. “This week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sunday was last week,” Seungsik pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But didn’t we eat after midnight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ahhh,” he said. “We might have.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should have kicked me out before I could keep you up all night,” Seungwoo said as he hunted down the corkscrew in the bottom of his kitchen drawer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was fine with it,” he said. “So we’ve done everything then, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve ordered take out, eaten from a cart, and now we’re staying in and cooking,” he said. “Pretty much everything except going out to a fancy restaurant and eating ramen together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to go out to dinner with me,” Seungwoo asked, the words slipping out before he could stop them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tomorrow?” Seungsik laughed because they were joking. Of course they were joking, Seungwoo most certainly didn’t just ask him out right there out in the open like that without a warning. He was glad they both understood that because how awful would that have been… if he had just asked him out… just like that. For dinner. With him. At his earliest convenience.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too soon?” Seungwoo asked, joking back at him and stifling the lump in his throat. “What about ramen then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe when we get back from the fancy restaurant, we could make a pot at my place,” he said with an eager smile that showed all of his tigery bottom teeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo turned his back to him to hide the fact that he was flustered. It wasn’t fair how easily he got to him especially since he didn’t have the same effect on Seungsik at all. What was he going to do if Seungsik all of a sudden figured out that he wasn’t really joking?” “You’ll have room after dessert?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dessert? Are we splurging like this,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo turned back around with the bottle of wine in his hand. He set it down between them and twisted the screw in the cork, feigning confidence that he knew how to use it. His teeth tugged at the skin on his lip in concentration as he twisted the handle until the metal hook popped through the bottom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything you want,” he said with a strain as he yanked it out with a loud pop that startled them both. “Damn, that was wedged in tight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good luck getting it back in,” Seungsik said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We might have to drink the whole thing tonight,” Seungwoo feigned regret. “Or I will to mend my aching heart after you run off from my bad cooking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could tease you, but to be fair it smells too good to taste bad,” he admitted, and with that, Seungwoo went back to cooking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned back to the sauce that had begun to break down, adding a can of tomatoes to it seeing that the ones from the market weren’t quite enough. He gave it a quick taste, and because he had added the can too late, it was a bit bitter so he added a tiny bit of sugar to balance it out. Now that he was ready to season, he added the salt, pepper, and spices he needed, stirred them in until everything tasted like it was supposed to, and covered it with a lid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They couldn’t eat without bread, so Seungwoo had Seungsik slice a baguette into rounds before dry toasting each piece on a pan on the stove. It was a fairly small kitchen, and they were elbow to elbow, but Seungwoo didn’t feel crowded at all, but maybe that was just the wine in his belly attributing to his comfort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik, eager to help now that he was on his feet, put together a salad from some of the food they bought while Seungwoo cracked a few eggs into the pan of simmering sauce, careful not to break the yolks. He spooned over some of the tomatoes to tuck the eggs in safely before covering the pot with the lid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ohhhhh,” Seungsik said. “That’s not pasta.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” he said, pleased. “At least I know I can surprise you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that’s exactly what you need,” he teased. “The element of surprise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo opened his mouth to rebut, but Seungsik placed his finger under his chin and nudged it closed. “You know what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” he said, unthreatened, but Seungwoo was unable to say anything. Instead he just looked away with a smile and turned his attention back to the stove where his eggs were busy poaching.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think dinner’s ready,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know about him, but he was happy that he accidentally broke into Seungsik’s apartment so maybe the element of surprise was good for him, and Seungsik was there even then so perhaps it had been good for him too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took the pan off the stove and moved it to the bar and set it down on a potholder. When he uncovered it, steam poured out, and he worried he had overcooked the eggs, but with a sly jiggle, they seemed to all move like they were supposed to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He topped it off with a handful of crumbled feta and some fresh herbs they had bought to make it extra delicious for him. Then they set out the salads, the bread, and their glasses of wine with the bottle just in reach, and took their seats on his barstools, ready to eat their third meal together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Seungwoo said. He climbed off the stool and hurried to the other side of the apartment and pulled back the curtains, letting the city outside cast a faint blue glow into the apartment that made the shadows dance on the walls as the cars drove past on the street below. It was like having dinner in an aquarium, he thought, but then he remembered that Seungsik liked to live with all the lights on, and it might have been hard for him to see well enough to eat with just the lights from the kitchen and this to go by. “Oh, wait, I can turn on the living room light if you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I like this better,” he said, taking a sip of wine and looking out the window to take in the view. “Kind of wish it was raining though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could turn the shower on if you want,” Seungwoo joked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They ate quietly until the food disappeared right in front of them like magic, and Seungwoo almost forgot where he was until Seungsik spoke again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for making me dinner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we’re even now,” he said.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So anything else is just a bonus,” Seungsik said as more of a question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you want,” he said. “Or do you just like me being in debt to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed brightly and shook his head. “What kind of person do you take me for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone who bullies me constantly,” Seungwoo said dramatically, holding his wrist to his forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, sorry about that,” he said, poking a fork at his food. “I’m usually only like this to people I’m comfortable with like my best friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you comfortable with me,” he asked shyly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Seungsik said with a half huff. “For some reason, I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he said, perking up. “Then we’re both even again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you saying you’re comfortable with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too comfortable,” Seungwoo said as he tore open his last yolk with a piece of bread that spilled into the sauce, ready to be scooped up and taken away. “Like if I came home and you were here, I wouldn’t even question it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik shook his head. “That wouldn’t happen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not,” he asked, hurt from what felt like casual rejection.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because my apartment has the comfortable couch,” he pointed out. “It’d make more sense for you to be at my place when I got home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My couch could be the most comfortable couch in the whole world,” Seungwoo insisted. “You don’t know yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you like mine more,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I was just trying to flatter you,” he lied. “You don’t know that either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s only one way to settle this,” Seungsik said before getting up from the bar. He walked confidently into the living room and sat down on the couch and gave the cushion a little bounce. “Hmm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think mine’s better,” he said, his voice tightening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No wait, it’s better with another person,” Seungwoo said. He jumped up off the stool and joined him on the other side. “See. You have to balance the cushions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of couch needs its cushions balanced,” Seungsik asked, shifting around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo pressed his head against the back and turned it towards him pitifully. “A terrible couch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not… terrible,” he tried. “But I will understand if you have to come sit on mine more to be comfortable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you want me to come over, all you have to do is ask,” Seungwoo said, trying to be coy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since when do you need an invitation,” Seungsik teased. He let out a loud groan and covered his face, flopping over onto the arm rest in agony. Seungsik laughed brightly and squeezed his shoulder, giving it a little shake. “I’m kidding!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, but it hurts so bad,” he cried out. “Oh, it’s so embarrassing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that bad,” he insisted, pushing him into the cushion more while he laughed too much at his expense. “It’s cute!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo was glad he was already hiding his face so he wouldn’t have to see how flustered he was hearing him call him that. “I’m just a deranged onion man!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re my-,” Seungsik started before biting his tongue. “You’re not that deranged. Unless you’ve done this before…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No just your place,” Seungwoo said, calming down. He sat back up and brushed himself off, and Seungsik shifted back over to his side of the sofa. “Just that one time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he said, and when Seungwoo looked at him confused, he added, “I mean it’s good you haven’t done this to anyone else. They might have been more upset about it than I was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said the only reason you didn’t call the police was because you didn’t want to stir up any workplace gossip,” Seungwoo said, raising his eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I knew you weren’t dangerous,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could be dangerous,” he said, his arm thrown over the side of the couch carelessly like an invitation, and it was Seungsik’s turn to turn red as he looked away with a cough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what do you do on your couch,” Seungsik asked, changing the subject.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lately, I’ve been watching a drama since I have the week off,” he said. “Nothing too extraordinary.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at the screen briefly and back at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to join me,” Seungwoo offered. “Since we finished eating, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah right, we did, didn’t we,” he said. “Thank you again for dinner. It was great.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I liked cooking for you,” Seungwoo said. “I liked keeping you away from pasta more though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed loudly, fading into a soft giggle. “It was all I could think of! My blood sugar was low! You didn’t say it had eggs!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To be fair, you watched me put eggs in my cart,” he pointed out. “You even made me buy the organic kind!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah- yeah, yeah I did,” Seungsik said, pressing his mouth shut. “What else can you make?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I make a killer egg fried rice,” he said proudly. “The secret is in the oyster sauce.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The deranged onion man only knows how to cook eggs,” Seungsik said quietly. “Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can cook more than-,” Seungwoo said, fussing. “I- you- hey! Is this how you treat someone who just asked you to watch tv with him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t wanna, like, overstay my welcome,” he said awkwardly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t,” he said. “But I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck here. I’m sure you’re tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I was thinking about going ahead and cleaning up the mess we made in your kitchen and getting back into the wine we have to finish,” Seungsik sighed. “You know, since you can’t get the cork back in, and otherwise, you would have to drink the whole thing by yourself, and that might make you sick.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah right,” he clapped as he stood up. “We have wine to finish, but don’t worry about the kitchen. I have literally nothing else to do tomorrow while you’re at wor- while I’m home all day. But wine, we can do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked back into the kitchen and tried to grab both glasses and the bottle without spilling anything, but then he worried he might accidentally switch up the glasses and give Seungsik the wrong one to drink out of, so he decided it would be better to do it in two trips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He brought the glasses over first, and Seungsik grabbed his off of the coffee table and held it politely in his lap like it was a juice box, and Seungwoo almost fell on the floor from all of his emotions. It was so preciously cute that he almost offered him a straw.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he retrieved the bottle of wine that was still over half way full, he sat back down with him and refilled their glasses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for saving me from drinking this all by myself,” Seungwoo said as he poured. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you for staying with me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he said with a hiccup. “Uh oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you need some more bread,” he laughed, quite amused by him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m alright,” he said with another hiccup. “It happens when i dr-HUH-ink wine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo covered his mouth with his hand and laughed at his expense that time, making them even again. “Oh that’s fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut HUH-up,” Seungsik whined. “It only happens when I talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t make you talk anymore if you want,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goo-HUH-d,” he said before glugging down the rest of his glass, frustrated and embarrassed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cute,” Seungwoo said quietly to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” he said with a smile. “What do you want to watch since we’re not talking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your sh-HUH-ow is fine,” Seungsik said with an even louder hiccup. Seungwoo giggled happily at his predicament as he reached for his remote. “I’m sorry, it’s the wine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to watch you hiccup like this,” he said. “I’m waiting for little bubbles to appear around your head.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please!” He cried out before hiccuping again. “I’m not even drunk!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo heard his own windshield wiper laugh come out as amusement washed over him. He knew he was enjoying it a little too much, but he was happy that, for once, he wasn’t the one who looked like a fool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I may need to switch to water th-HUH-ough,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too much hiccuping,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I might become a little,” he said before wiggling his arms to describe what he meant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like an earthworm,” he guessed, his eyes wide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Like an earthworm!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have as much as you want, no one will see anything, I promise,” Seungwoo said. “You’re basically home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gestured towards the door since Seungsik’s apartment was just on the other side, but he really meant he could consider himself home there too, if he wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t you do something embarrassing,” Seungsik pleaded. “You know, to make us even?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To be fair I don’t need wine to do something embarrassing,” he grumbled. “Remember?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik giggled as he sipped from his glass with a gentle hiccup. “How could I forget?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With their plans laid out for them, Seungwoo started the drama over from the first episode like he had with Chan because honestly it wouldn’t make any sense for Seungsik if he started off in the middle, and if this was going to be an enjoyable evening together, he shouldn’t have had to spend it confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glass by glass, the dark red line of the bottle lowered, and they both became warmer, the tension they still had from being strangers lessening little by little. They both giggled at the same parts, and even though he had seen the sad scene already twice that week, Seungwoo wiped a tear from his eyes quietly, but a gentle touch on his shoulder drew him out of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked to his side to see that Seungsik had fallen asleep next to him at some point and was slumped over. Seungwoo carefully took the glass balanced in his lap from his hands and placed it on the table for him so that it wouldn’t spill.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he sat back down, he accidentally nudged him too hard, and Seungsik’s head tipped over on his shoulder with a light sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh oh,” Seungwoo said quietly. He accidentally put his neighbor to sleep with all the food and wine, and he wasn’t sure how Seungsik would feel about it once he found out that he had passed out on Seungwoo’s couch, but he doubted he would be thrilled. He lowered his voice and tried to rouse him. “Seungsikie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The younger smacked his lips and settled deeper into his shoulder, very much out of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no,” Seungwoo said. He grabbed the throw pillow and set it on his lap before he carefully inched away, and Seungsik slid down his body until his head found the pillow waiting for him. Seungwoo let out a tense breath and looked around his apartment for help, but he wasn’t sure who or what could have saved him at that point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew he was tired, but he didn’t know he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> tired. He supposed he could let him nap for another episode or two before waking him up to get him home, but this was definitely not a situation he had anticipated. </span>
  <em>
    <span>At least he feels comfortable with me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He relaxed a bit and resumed watching quietly while Seungsik slept, and he almost forgot he was there until he felt an arm slide behind his lower back as Seungsik hugged him unconsciously, grabbing his side for comfort. Seungwoo closed his eyes tightly so he wouldn’t react, but then he felt the other arm reach over his lap and grab the far side of the pillow wedged under Seungsik’s head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He hugs in his sleep?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He tried his best to stay calm, but he was overwhelmed by the sweetness of it all as his eyes filled with tears like he was looking at a litter of puppies through a window. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached over to the side table on his right for his glass and gulped it down to the bottom to distract himself and made himself a little light headed, but he didn’t suspect that that was because of the wine at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he was able to collect himself, he relaxed and let himself be secretly more fond of the man sleeping in his lap than he was already. There was nothing wrong with that, he thought. Anyone else would have found it just as precious as he did, and since this was a moment that anyone would have appreciated, he decided that it was alright to be happy about it himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not like he could exactly look at his current situation with anything but absolute fondness while the man held him like a large stuffed bear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Refusing to be upset with himself for being happy, he continued watching his show again and barely noticed his own hand moving to play with Seungsik’s hair as he himself became sleepy enough to nap too, but one of them had to stay awake to make sure that Seungsik didn’t miss work in the morning so he forced himself to focus on the screen even as he threaded the tresses in his fingers and gently scratched his scalp with his nails.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let himself have two episodes with him, reaching the early hours of the morning before he tapped at Seungsik’s shoulder to wake him, but all he got in return was a low whine and a tighter squeeze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sikie,” he said, trying not to laugh. “It’s time to get up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sleepy Seungsik whined again and lazily rolled his head away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungsik!” He said, pretending to be appalled. “You’re going to be late for work!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was sure he heard a faint</span>
  <em>
    <span> I don’t care, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and had to bite his tongue to keep from giggling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kang Seungsik,” he said with a deep voice, hoping to startle him, but it was no use. Seungsik was a heavy wine sleeper, and there was nothing either one of them could do about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he had to get him home to his bed. That was extremely important. He doubted their little not-dates would continue if he couldn’t. At least, he thought, it would be easier than getting him home from a bar since he lived right across the hall. Seungwoo wouldn’t need to pay for a cab, wrestle his address from stubborn lips, or worry about getting him inside. He even had his door code memorized. All he had to do was get him over there .</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Easier said than done, apparently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo slid himself out from under him and gave his body a good, firm shake, but it was no use. He was out. His next option was to pick Seungsik up and carry him to the other apartment which might have been possible if Seungsik was participating in this, but unfortunately Seungwoo was on his own and they were roughly the same size. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He somehow clumsily managed to get Seungsik onto his back and hunkered over to keep him from dragging his feet on the floor, but it was probably the worst thing he had ever done to his poor knees. He made it to the door with Seungsik looking like an awkward turtle shell, but he wasn’t able to reach the handle without dropping him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How the hell am I supposed to get him through both doors?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed and gave Seungsik a hop. “Hey, wake up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He heard a soft mumble and winced. This wasn’t working. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a third option, but he was sure that Seungsik wasn’t going to like that one very much. In fact, he was pretty sure that there was no universe in existence where it would have been the option the sleeping dead weight would have picked for himself, but there was no other choice. It was for the best, but boy did he not want to be the one to do it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo muttered an apology. He gave him another heave to secure Seungsik on his back and headed to the back of his apartment towards his own room, his true last resort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He awkwardly turned his back towards his bed and stood up straight to flop Seungsik’s body backwards, expecting the blunt force of the fall to stir him. If it did, he could get home on his own, but he would probably misunderstand what was happening so Seungwoo prayed that he could sleep through it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he did except for a few soft whines he made as he twisted around on the mattress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked down at him with his hands on his hips. He couldn’t very well undress him, but he wasn’t sure Seungsik could sleep comfortably like this for someone who didn’t own pajamas. He scratched his head and exhaled, not sure what to do. He guessed he could just leave him how he was and try to tuck him in, but if he got too hot, he might have been uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If he gets too hot, he’ll probably wake up,” he said to himself. “Okey dokey, Seungsik, let’s get you into bed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pulled back the covers and fluffed a pillow for him. Then he grabbed him by his ankles and dragged him around until he got his head and feet where they belonged. He lifted his stubborn body up until his head was on the pillow, and he moved his legs out of the way to get the sheets out from under him to tuck him in. Getting Seungsik into bed reminded him too much of a video game puzzle, and he suddenly found himself in the mood to play Tomb Raider.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo and Seungsik had the same type of phone so he plugged his into his charger for him and left it on the nightstand, hoping he had an alarm set already, and then everything was done— as much as he could do since he couldn’t actually get him home. Seungsik was tucked into bed, and Seungwoo was free to go sleep on his inferior couch for the night so he could rest too, the wine also slowing him down, but as he reached to turn off the lamp on the nightstand, a hand reached out lazily to grab his wrist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gasped, startled, and looked down at Seungsik who held him in place with a loose grip with his eyes still closed. He mumbled something in his sleep that Seungwoo couldn’t quite make out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grumbled with a soft pout.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo leaned down closer, holding himself up on the mattress, so he could hear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’d you say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need a goodnight kiss,” he mumbled in his sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked away flustered, his eyes wide in shock. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Come to your senses. He doesn’t realize what he’s saying. He’s just a sleepy baby. Don’t freak out, he has no idea who he’s talking to.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Nooo</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Seungwoo said cutely, gathering himself. “I can’t give you a goodnight kiss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not,” he said, his mouth barely moving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I think not-sleeping you would be very mad at me if I did,” he said sweetly, coddling him like the sleepy baby he was. He brushed his hair out of his face affectionately, and then gritted his teeth as he pulled away. Not-sleeping Seungsik probably wouldn’t be too fond of that either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He scrunched his face up into a scowl and shook his head. “He won’t be mad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes he will,” Seungwoo laughed. “Goodnight, Sikie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kiss kiss,” he mumbled, poking his lips out stubbornly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo snorted, unable to contain himself seeing him like this in person. He couldn’t wait to blackmail him over it later for coffee or some other excuse to hang out together, assuming that Seungwoo was the kind of person who wanted to find excuses to hangout with him ever. Hypothetically. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” he said, amused. “But just one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned over him and hovered dangerously close to his mouth. He absolutely wasn’t the kind of person to steal a kiss without permission, but it might have been his only chance. He turned his head and closed his eyes, taking a moment to come to his senses. He was so close he could feel his breath tickling his ear, and it drove him crazy, but he wouldn’t do it. He couldn’t do it. It just wasn’t right, and he knew he would feel sick about it if he let himself get carried away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Resolved, he moved up and gave him a soft peck on the forehead for the goodnight kiss sleeping-Seungsik wanted so much, lingering for a moment against the warmth of his skin, and pulled away, his heart pounding too much even from that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik had a soft smile on his face as he shuffled comfortably down into the bed, satisfied. Seungwoo shook his head pleasantly and turned off the light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Sikie,” he said as he walked out. Before he stepped out of the room, he was sure he heard Seungsik mumble something else, but when he asked, he was met with a light snore. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Cute.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for length, but I didn’t want to split this in half 😭</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Uneasy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Someone has unsettled nerves.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Edit: Chapter Reposted Aug. 13</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungwoo carefully closed the door behind him, leaving Seungsik alone in his bedroom to sleep off the wine. It had turned him into an unhelpful sleepy baby who only wanted a goodnight kiss even though it didn’t seem to matter who it came from, but Seungwoo wasn’t quite able to convince the butterflies in his stomach of that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He left the blinds open, not wanting to leave the apartment in complete darkness in case Seungsik woke up during the night and didn’t remember where he was, but he turned off the tv so that the apartment was extra quiet, so he was left with only the bouncing shadows on the walls to keep him company.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo flopped himself down on his inferior couch and covered himself with the blanket he grabbed from his room on his way out. He rested his head on the same throw pillow he caught Seungsik’s falling head with and thought that sleeping on the sofa if it meant that Seungsik could be comfortable wasn’t so bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled to himself and touched his lips with the backs of his fingers, remembering the feeling of pressing them against Seungsik’s forehead. To anyone else, it was barely a kiss, but for him it had been enough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The small gesture affirmed for himself that he had real feelings for him even if he had tried to play them off as worrisome stomach aches or a giddy crush on his neighbor, and now that he had had just the tiniest taste of what it felt like to be close to him, he immediately craved more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Holding himself back was going to be a problem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He closed his eyes and did everything he could to not think about the man sleeping in his room, but even if he couldn’t manage to clear his mind, at least his dreams were pleasant. They were so pleasant, in fact, that he had no idea the gentle touch on his cheek was real, that was, until the voice that followed cut through his dreams too strikingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungwoo,” he said softly as his thumb brushed where Seungwoo’s dimple would have been. “I’ve gotta go, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” Seungwoo stirred, barely opening his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get back in your bed and sleep,” Seungsik said, giving him a light tug. “I’m sorry I slept over.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he mumbled, still half asleep. “Sleep here all the time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he said, keeping his voice quiet. “Go to bed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he nodded and squeezed his eyes shut, pulling the blanket over his own shoulder for warmth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t remember falling back asleep or Seungsik leaving, but when morning finally came, the daylight blazing through his open window woke him up, and he forced himself to sit up and wipe the dust from his eyes. He had a slight headache probably from both his sleeping arrangement and the wine from the night before, but he was more bothered that he didn’t properly see Seungsik off. Or tell him in person what an absolute mess he had been. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was so cute that Seungwoo couldn’t stand it, and he missed him already. It wasn’t Seungsik’s fault he had to go to work first thing in the morning and do his super important job, but with regret, he wondered what it would have been like to have breakfast or even just coffee with him before he left. What if one day he got to give him a little kiss goodbye on the cheek before they both went to work?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook himself. He most certainly could not go around giving Seungsik good night kisses or goodbye kisses or good morning kisses or any other type of good something kisses even if he wanted to so bad he thought he would lose his mind if he didn’t get to give him at least one of each every single day for the rest of his life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Truth be told, that forehead kiss had ruined his life because he was never going to be satisfied with anything else from anyone else ever again, and that was without even knowing what his lips felt like. He felt a familiar pain in his chest. He wasn’t sure he would ever get to find out, and that hurt him more than anything else ever had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After having a small crisis over kisses he wasn’t allowed to have, Seungwoo decided the best thing he could do for himself was have a morning nap to reset himself after the long night, and to do so, he needed to return to his own bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got up off the couch and stopped by the bathroom before wandering clumsily with his sleepy legs into his room. Seungsik had made the bed before he left which was considerate but not really necessary especially since he was pressed for time. Seungwoo pulled back the blankets and climbed onto the mattress, settling into the familiar fabric. What was unfamiliar, though, he noticed as soon as he buried his face into the pillow, was that everything around him faintly smelled like Seungsik. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He idly slid his arms beneath the pillow and hugged it, enjoying the soft scent of fresh soap, clean linens, old books, and what might have been described by some people as puppy paws. He squeezed his watering eyes shut tighter and inhaled deeply until he committed it to memory and sighed until he expelled all the air from his lungs, very happy no one was around to see him like that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if he wished someone special was there with him, still sleeping comfortably beside him long into the morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so fucked.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hours later he woke from his nap feeling a little more refreshed than he was before. He almost completely brushed off the night before as a pleasant dream until he checked his phone and saw the message waiting from him. His heart jumped with excitement once he saw the name like he would have when he was a teenager, but he didn’t care. He was happy. And no one was there to make fun of him for the noise he made seeing it.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: hey sorry i passed out at your place TT i have no idea how that happened… i hope you’re not mad :s i was going to message you earlier but I didn’t want to wake you</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: no!!!!! It wasn’t a big deal at all! I’m sorry i couldnt get you back to your apartment,, i tried but i couldnt get us both through the door lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: oh god i’m so sorry 😭 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: this is so embarrassing </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: nooo it was fine i promise are you feeling ok?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: i feel great thanks ❤️ did you sleep ok? I’m sorry i stole your bed :(</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: lol you can steal my bed any time</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sent the message before he realized how weird it sounded and screamed. He tried to type an explanation as fast as he could, but his panicky thumbs weren’t cooperating.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: i meanb like if it happenss again you can always sleepl at my place free of charged haha</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: like a marriott</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: but for free</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He closed his eyes and sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m so fucking stupid. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: 😭 you say that like it’s going to happen again please it was One Time!!!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: but if it happens again my bed will be ready c:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked at his screen horrified. He didn’t think he could make things any worse for himself, but by golly was he full of surprises.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: because it’s like a hotel…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: you know</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: like a marriott </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: but for free</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: 👀 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: i just woke up i’m sorry</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: you good? lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: YEP</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: i’m not keeping you am i…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: i’m on my lunch break c: you slept in</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: OH WHOOPS please tell me you’re not eating out of a vending machine again</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: i’m not… </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: … seungsik …</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: i am definitely not eating out of a vending machine :3</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: e.e</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: but if you notice that any of your protein bars or bananas or yogurt drinks have gone missing mind your business</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: YOU ROBBED ME ?????</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: :D!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: YA</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: THIEF!!!!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: :DDDDDDD</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: YOU RAIDED MY KITCHEN WHILE I WAS SLEEPING???</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: :( i’m sorry i was in a hurry i didn’t want to be late because i had to go back to my place to get ready</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: OMG NO BABY PLEASE MY FRIDGE IS YOURS I WAS KIDDING TAKE ANYTHING YOU WANT I DIDNT MEAN IT</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo was swept up by his overwhelming need to give him anything he wanted and didn’t realize that he said anything out of the ordinary until Seungsik didn’t immediately message him back. Not used to the silence, he reread their messages to make sure he hadn’t accidentally offended him, and that’s when he saw what he had done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Baby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The screech that came out of Seungwoo’s mouth was anything but human, and his eyes were so wide in horror that he felt like they were going to roll out of his head. That was something he would have called anyone he was close to when he was coddling them. Chan was in his phone as Dearest Husband for crying out loud, but there was no way Seungsik would have known that. If anything, it probably solidified any idea he had in his mind that Seungwoo was a creep who should have been avoided at all cost. With some quick thinking, he fixed it flawlessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: buddy* </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: sorry hand slipped 😅</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few more moments passed, and Seungwoo knew he was done for. He was absolutely screwed, and there was no way to save himself. He just had to accept it, but he really didn’t want to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unable to sit still any longer and not wanting to make it more obvious that he was going out of his mind, he switched the conversation to a different tab where he could be safe to scream and cry and ventilate.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: PLEASE tell me youre not busy</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: i might not be… for a price</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: TT this is an emergency</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: who’s dying</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: me</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: what’d you do lol</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sent a screenshot to Chan and waited for a response. There was a lot of waiting when it came to that word, and he didn’t like it very much.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: LOOOOOOOL STUPID</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: SHUT UP</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: “buddy*” I AM ON THE FLOOR</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: HELP ME???</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: IM SURE THAT WAS BELIEVABLE </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: HSBHDHSJSKJDDJD</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: NO ONE WILL SUSPECT A THING</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: WHAT DO I DO</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: move?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: :|</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: i’m sure it’s not that bad but i need context why was he stealing food</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: he passed out over at my place last night after we drank a bottle of wine </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: 👀 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: it wasn’t like that i just couldnt get him home i mean i slept on the couch in a different room lol but omg it was so cute you should have seen him 😭 he was talking in his sleep asking for kisses </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: i might throw up but i’m happy for you lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: you didnt kiss him did you</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: NO he was asleep i’m not a creep</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: you did just call your neighbor baby unprompted</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: was it tho 🤔 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: YES 😭 i call you things all the time and i dont mean it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: yeah but like you calling me baby and you calling seungsik baby are two very different things</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: how</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: would you call seungsik “dumbass”</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: no</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: 🤗</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: YOU ARE NOT THE BIG BRAIN YOU THINK YOU ARE THANKS FOR NOTHING!!!!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo was about to toss his phone in defeat or frustration when another message came in from a name that made his heart race. He was going to throw up, but he had to see what it said.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: sorry something came up at work 🙈</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: i’ve gotta go back now break’s over</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo tilted his head back and sighed, a heaviness to his chest that he had anticipated. He was absolutely sick with himself. He took a breath and made himself reply so that everything looked normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: ok i hope work goes ok today 👋 </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few moments passed, and he set the phone down. He didn’t feel like talking to Chan or anyone else for that matter, but one more message came through so he had to check anyway to settle his nerves.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span>: get some rest ❤️ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The little heart gave him some relief, but the mood had definitely shifted. It wasn’t just him that noticed because when Chan asked him what he said, Seungwoo sent him another screenshot.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: :/ </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: i think i’m gonna go clean up from last night</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: it’s probably just his job… you said it’s stressful right?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: yeah it is</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: he probably won’t remember anything later anyways </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: you’re probably right</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan</b>
  <span>: try not to worry about it too much ok?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: alright</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Seungwoo </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> worried. He was worried a lot, actually. It would probably blow over as long as he didn’t make the same mistake again, but the problem was, it had been an easy mistake to make and could have happened at any given moment. It was a side effect of being too comfortable with him. Because of that, he was able to treat him like he was one of his closest friends, and Seungwoo treated all of his friends with too much affection. It was a mistake he could have made with anyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wasn’t it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook himself and put his phone away. At least if he cleaned up the kitchen like he said he was going to, he could keep his mind busy to keep himself from freaking out because there was absolutely nothing to freak out about because if Seungsik was freaked out he wouldn’t have texted him goodbye, he was pretty sure. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Everything’s going to be fine. It was an honest mistake. Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has those days. Oh my god, shut up Han-Snoo Montana. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>But it was going to be fine. He knew he was just being over sensitive because he was already so freaked out about everything surrounding his neighbor. Crushes were awful and having them made him a little crazy which is why he often opted to not have them, preferring the occasional casual encounter at a bar or something like that than anything that could last long enough to freak him out. This was probably the worst crush he had ever had, and he was simply not handling it well was all. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kiss kiss, my ass. That little shit has ruined my life. This is all his fault. I hate him. I’m done. I’m cured. No more crush. Just pain. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He resolved himself to be angry and grumpy for the rest of the day so that he didn’t have to feel the regret boiling in his gut. He turned up the tv loud enough to drown out his thoughts and headed into his kitchen where he scrubbed away every trace of tomato sauce he could find until there wasn’t a hint that they had had dinner together only hours before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hadn’t been there. Seungsik hadn’t bought groceries with him. Seungsik hadn’t stolen food from him. He hadn’t completely embarrassed himself by telling Seungsik he could take as much food as he wanted. Nothing bad had happened. Everything was going to be okay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And everything was okay. A few hours later, he finished cleaning up his apartment, and he resigned himself to his inferior couch where he watched a few more episodes of the drama he probably would have already finished if he hadn’t restarted it multiple times. He could finally relax and do nothing like he was supposed to, that was, until a gentle knock on the door decided to upheave his plans. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sank into the cushion and sighed. He was glad that Chan’s first instinct was to come to his rescue, and he would never be able to repay him for being such a loyal and thoughtful friend, but he really didn’t want to deal with the teasing he was due for using that cursed word. A part of him was a little annoyed that he didn’t just himself in like normal because he didn’t want to move, but it at least gave him the chance to pout about having an uninvited guest before seeing him face to face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo pushed himself up off the couch and called out that he was coming before opening the door, and once again, to his surprise, his uninvited guest was not Chan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Seungwoo almost shouted, his eyes wide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Seungsik said, shuffling where he stood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t look tired or miserable that time, just a little nervous if anything. Seungwoo guessed that he was there to clear things up between them, but if he was worried about rejecting him, Seungwoo was prepared to take it well and just mope around his apartment later where he couldn’t see. The last thing he wanted was for Seungsik to feel bad about something he couldn’t control. Not liking someone back wasn’t a crime.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he said again softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik’s shoulders dropped, relaxed, and he took a breath. Seungwoo braced himself for the worst.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was wondering if you wanted to go–,” Seungsik started before biting down on his lip with a frown. He shook his head like he was frustrated and nodded before trying again. “Snack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Snack?” Seungwoo asked, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he laughed. “The other night we made a bet, remember? If I didn’t get cold, you would get me a snack?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you di-, yeah, I guess we did do that, huh,” Seungwoo said, pretending like Seungsik hadn’t frozen his little ass off in the park. “Did we get anything you wanted yesterday at the store?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said, his eyes dropping to the floor. “I was wondering if maybe you want to go get some ice cream with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ice cream?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Seungsik said. “Or whatever you want, but I think I want some ice cream. Do you want any? With me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like ice cream,” Seungwoo said, nodding dumbly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he said quietly, the worry on his face fading. “Good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he repeated. Whatever he had said earlier about not having a crush anymore was completely tossed out the window as the fondness he had for Seungsik took over once again. There he was standing outside of his door asking for a reward for a bet he didn’t technically win looking like an angel, and Seungwoo wondered what kind of world it would have been if he had asked for the reward he originally wanted. Would he have gotten it? Could he have? “Do you want to…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now?” Seungsik almost shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blinked. “I meant do you want to change and meet back up like normal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, that’s a good idea,” he said, frowning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to go now,” Seungwoo asked quietly after a pause, leaning towards him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he said, a little zoned out before shaking his head. “No, yeah, we should do like we normally do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I kind of want to take a shower first,” Seungwoo said. “I smell like bleach.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You smell great to me,” he said. “But, uh, yeah, you can shower! There’s no rush!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you wanna meet me here,” he asked. “You can let yourself in if you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure,” Seungsik said, rubbing his palms together. “That’s fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, are you alright? Did something happen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” he shouted, practically jumping up off his feet. “Everything’s fine! Really!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo frowned. “What’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hung his head and took a breath. “Nothing is wrong, I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” he said. “If you’re sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure,” he insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Seungwoo said again, not really sure if he believed him. It was like there was something else he wanted to say but couldn’t, and Seungwoo couldn’t help but feel unsettled by it, but if he didn’t want to say what it was, he couldn’t force him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess I’ll be back later,” he said, almost disappointed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s eyes shifted down the hall as he searched for a thought, but his brain was being less helpful than he was. “Do you want… to wait here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“While I wash the bleach off,” he said. “Then we can go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Seungsik said, in a slightly better mood. “We can do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo raised his eyebrows and took a step back, holding the door open so Seungsik could come in. Once he crossed the threshold, so to speak, the tension he held dissipated and he looked more like the Seungsik who eagerly put away groceries in his kitchen the night before. The tangle of nerves in Seungwoo’s stomach loosened, and he supposed he worried all day for nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, make yourself at home,” Seungwoo said. “I’m going to wash up really quick, but the apartment’s yours. Remote’s on the couch if you want. Drinks are in the fridge…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you taking a bubble bath,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I just feel rude leaving you here,” he admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s no big deal,” Seungsik waved him off. “Go shower, I’ll be right here not bothering anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok,” he said, brushing himself off. “I’ll be right back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hurried off and washed himself as quickly as he could without it seeming like he wasn’t clean before returning to catch Seungsik red handed in his kitchen with a piece of cheese in each hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing,” Seungwoo asked, amused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” Seungsik said, shoving a piece in his mouth to get rid of it. “What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanna swallow that first before deflecting,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said, his mouth full. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo forced himself to scowl like he meant to scold him, but he had a difficult time keeping himself from giggling. “Do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> need to go grocery shopping?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said, avoiding eye contact. “It’s just that your food is better than mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You picked out everything!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Seungsik said, and all Seungwoo could do was stand there with his mouth agape in disbelief, except that time Seungsik wasn’t close enough to close it for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” he said stunned. “I can’t argue with that, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik finished off the other piece of cheese and smiled brightly, his eyes turning into two little happy moons, so pleased with himself that if he opened his mouth, Seungwoo was sure a ray of sunshine would come out. Seungwoo’s chest tightened at the sight, almost taking his breath away, but it wasn’t like that was anything new. Everything Seungsik did had that effect on him, but there was just something particularly powerful about him when he was happy. If he wasn’t an angel, he was the sun, and if he wasn’t the sun, he was in danger of becoming Seungwoo’s whole universe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re hungry, we can have ice cream after real food,” he suggested, pulling himself out his enamoured state. “I think I’m supposed to take you out to a fancy restaurant at some point this week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if fancy restaurants are what people do on Wednesdays,” Seungsik laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do people do on Wednesdays then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They get ice cream,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo approached him, his hands in his pockets. Beads of water dripped down his neck from his damp hair, and Seungsik’s eyes followed them. “Where do you want to go then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- </span>
  <em>
    <span>hmm</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he said, looking away like he was intimidated. He took a step back, and Seungwoo did the same, realizing he was probably still doing too much. “The convenience store?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We could do that,” Seungwoo said, moving back a little further. “Or we could order it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can order ice cream,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can order just about anything,” Seungwoo said matter of factly. “If I could order my job, I’d probably never leave my apartment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed. “I would lose my mind, but the option still stands.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed, considering it. “What do you want to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll eat it here, right,” Seungwoo asked. “Or at your place? I mean, that is if you want to eat it together, of course, I’m not trying to assume…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I want to eat it with you, why else would I have come here,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To retrieve a prize,” Seungwoo said, folding his arms over his chest. “I know how this works. I played little league.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” he laughed brightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just kidding, I played soccer, but anyways, yeah, let’s order and not go anywhere,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why did you shower…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I didn’t want to smell like bleach,” he said simply. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I didn’t know I would see you today, and I haven’t showered since yesterday. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Makes sense,” Seungsik nodded. “Alright, we can order.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked around his apartment awkwardly, somehow feeling inadequate even though he had no reason to be, like them being there together was strange, but he couldn’t put his finger on why. “So… you wanna eat here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you rather eat at my place,” he asked, noticing that Seungwoo was acting weird.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure,” he admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s the couch, isn’t it,” Seungsik sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” he said quietly, eyeing his inferior couch that needed its cushions balanced to be comfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We could order ice cream and eat it at my place, and you can sit on my better couch… my treat,” he offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik burst out in a laugh that filled the whole room with giggles. “Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sell it to me,” Seungwoo blurted out. “Name your price.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The giggles continued as Seungsik was unable to contain himself, but Seungwoo was actually being serious. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>needed</span>
  </em>
  <span> that couch. “No! You know how I feel about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen, what if we share the couch,” he bargained. “Like a mutual ownership.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fine, but it stays in my apartment,” Seungsik insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why!” Seungwoo cried out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> couch,” he wailed. “You can sit on it whenever you want, no one’s stopping you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t because it’s in your apartment,” he said. “I can’t just go in whenever I want!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who says?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The law, probably,” he almost shouted in agony. It wasn’t fair. Seungsik had the best couch in the world, he refused to tell him what kind it was, he wouldn’t sell it to him, and even though he was willing to share it, he refused to remove it from his own apartment. It was cruel!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah because that really stopped you before,” Seungsik almost shouted back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo gasped. “Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik shut his mouth into a thin line, holding back a smile. He leaned back against the counter and looked back at him with a mischievous challenge on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanna tease me right now,” Seungwoo said as he  stepped forward, poking his finger to Seungsik’s chest. “Mr. Wiggly?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik’s face paled as he realized just how </span>
  <em>
    <span>even</span>
  </em>
  <span> they were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” Seungwoo continued, nodding. He put his hands on his hips and leaned forward close enough that their noses could have touched if he made a wrong move. “Did you know you talk in your sleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” he said, horrified. “What did I say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That you wanted a goodnight kiss</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “I couldn’t understand you, but the point is, I think you should watch who you make fun of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There wasn’t much of a point to telling him the truth. Neither one of them would have gained anything from it because it would have just embarrassed Seungsik in a way he didn’t think they could come back from so it had to be his own little secret, but that didn't mean he couldn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>reference</span>
  </em>
  <span> it when it suited him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik stared at him for a moment, eyes wide and lips parted, stunned, but then he broke his gaze and laughed. “I guess you have a point then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guess?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on let’s go to my place,” he said, heading towards the door, breaking away from where Seungwoo had cornered him. “I don’t want to keep you from your couch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo followed him diligently, but he felt like he had been jerked away by a giant magnet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re giving it to me then?” Seungwoo asked annoyingly as he followed him out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said over his shoulder, and they headed across the hall for what would have been their fourth not-date.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I can’t believe I looked up what Seungsik smells like for this</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Knives and Spoons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo and Seungsik enjoy a bit of ice cream together.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Edit: Chapter Reposted Aug. 13</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungsik’s apartment still had that familiar chill, but Seungwoo was already getting used to it after only a few days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He found himself on his favorite couch with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders while Seungsik made them both a couple cups of tea to drink before their “dinner” arrived. Honestly they probably should have ordered food too, but any time Seungwoo mentioned it, Seungsik insisted he wanted ice cream, so ice cream it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Seungsik asked what flavor Seungwoo liked while he scrolled through the app, he had the audacity to wrinkle his nose at mint chocolate chip when he himself boldly picked out pineapple of all things. Neither dessert exactly went with coffee or cocoa, so tea seemed like the best option. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the tea was ready, Seungsik came back and set their cups down before taking a seat next to Seungwoo. He loosened his tie enough that it wasn’t rubbing his neck anymore and let out a tired sigh before sinking down into the cushion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you too tired,” Seungwoo asked, looking at him sadly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said, unconvincingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to talk about it,” he offered. “I’m all ears.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. “Everything’s fine, but you know how Wednesdays are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That I do,” he nodded. He put his hand on his knee and squeezed once for comfort. “I hope the ice cream helps.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it will,” Seungsik said. He leaned forward to retrieve his mug from the table and sat back to a sip. He folded his legs beneath himself, comfortable in his own home, looking a bit more relaxed. “I already feel better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tea can do that,” Seungwoo agreed. Seungsik’s eyes shifted towards him, and he hummed in agreement. “Work got busy today…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sorry about that,” he said, looking away. “One of the other dispatchers was sick so I had to run and fill in during my break.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was it too terrible?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik shook his head, holding his mug in his lap and staring intently into the liquid like it was going to give him a vision of the future. “No, nothing too bad. A few break ins, a broken toe, and a dumpster fire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully not all from the same person,” Seungwoo said. Seungsik laughed weakly, but the smile remained on his face. Unable to help himself, he placed his head on his shoulder and sighed. “You can quit, you know, if it’s too hard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” he said, resting his head on Seungwoo’s. “I need the money though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it that good,” Seungwoo asked. “I don’t mean to be rude by asking, but like, is it </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed. “But I can’t just quit. Besides, I don’t know how to do anything else.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo frowned. “There are other kinds of dispatchers. You’ve got the training, a good memory, and experience in stressful situations. You could work anywhere from a trucking company to- shit even we have dispatchers for things. Like for the rails.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” Seungsik said, considering it. “I guess I just haven’t looked very much because I don’t want to get my hopes up just to be stuck where I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sat up and turned towards him. “Hey, look at me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” He faced him curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s mouth twisted in concentration as his hands went to the loosened tie hanging below Seungsik’s neck right between his collarbones. He tugged at the knot gently until the loop was wide enough that he could slide his fingers under his collar and slip it out before pulling it over his head, and then he set the tie down on the table where it wouldn’t get squished between them on the couch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t have to be too hard,” he said once he was finished. “You can lean on me when you need to, and I’ll support you, but it doesn’t have to be this hard. If you decide you want to try something else, I’ll spend my weeks off knocking on every door with a personnel deployment system for you so you don’t have to worry about it if you need me to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A personnel deployment system,” he repeated with a laugh, but he genuinely took comfort in his words. He rested back on Seungwoo’s shoulder who fell back against the back of the couch diligently so he could get comfortable. “I’m sorry, but your shoulder is good for coping so I need you to sit still.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Seungwoo said, patting his own chest. “I’m friend shaped.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He giggled happily, turning into him to bury his face into his shirt, gripping at the sides as he lost it over something that wasn’t really that funny, but it amused him enough that Seungwoo was happy to hold him up as he relieved his stress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungwoo laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re friend shaped,” he said, his voice too high. “I’m crying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, you’ve never heard that before,” he asked happily while he rubbed the back of his shaking head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Seungsik giggled as he sat back, wiping the tears from his eyes. “But it’s true.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Seungwoo said proudly. “I think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik stood up and stretched before grabbing his tie off the table and walking towards his room. “I’m going to change, can you listen for the door?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” he said, stretching too with a satisfied smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Seungsik left the room, he pushed down on his tightened chest and let out a long breath. He was doing his best to keep it together, but the second the other man’s hands went to his sides, he thought he was going to crack and pull him down onto the cushions with him. All he wanted to do was wrap himself around Seungsik like a Snoo shaped cocoon and squeeze until all of his stress was forced out like a tube of toothpaste, but he couldn’t. And it was ruining him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To get his mind off of his impulses, he grabbed his own mug off the table and glugged down the tea, burning his tongue on the still too hot drink, but the numbing sting cleared his head enough that once Seungsik came back looking a little more soft and homey, he was able to fully resist the urge he had to wrap his arms around him and leave a comforting trail of kisses across his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stop that. Pretend he’s Chan.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sup dude,” Seungwoo said, immediately cringing at himself as soon as he did. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not like that, stupid.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at him stunned, blinking quickly. “.... sup?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was trying something out,” he explained. “Don’t mind me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you say…. buddy,” Seungsik said as he sat down next to him with a smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You!” But before Seungwoo could get out what he had to say (or beat him up with a throw pillow), a knock came from the other side of the door which meant that their ice cream was already there. Seungsik moved to get up to answer it, but Seungwoo got up before he had the chance. “Traitors don’t get to get the door.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this something you learned at </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Marriott?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo turned around to see Seungsik smiling smugly up at him, and oh how he wished he could wipe the look off of his face in the only way he knew how. “You…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” he asked, bouncing on the cushion. “You better hurry if you’re going to get that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-,” Seungwoo started, but instead, he turned around and went to the door baffled. How was someone so timid so aggravating? How was he so infuriating, and at the same time, why wasn’t Seungwoo allowed to kiss him? Or fight him? Either would have been fine, but yet he was answering the door to get the ice cream that Seungsik had asked him over for and not letting out the frustration that had built up inside him over the last few minutes. What an unfair world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment, Seungwoo returned, they tore into their treats without saying a word, mesmerized by the ice cream before them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see how you can eat that,” Seungsik mumbled, glancing at the green and brown ice cream in Seungwoo’s hands. “Your mouth is gonna taste like toothpaste.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know why that concerns you,” he laughed. He looked down at Seungsik’s bowl and frowned. “That looks refreshing… I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is,” he said. “You’d know if you had taste.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone’s feeling spicy,” Seungwoo said, elbowing him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik giggled happily. “Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, keep it up,” he said. “It fuels my rage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What rage,” he asked, smiling too much for Seungwoo to feel anything but devastation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea,” he said. “Eat your ice cream, demon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quite pleased with the label he had earned, Seungsik went back to his dessert.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Try it,” he said, scooping out a small amount for him and holding it up like he meant to feed it to him. “Open up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo pouted before parting his lips to eat Seungsik’s ice cream, but as soon as the taste hit him, he shook his head in disgust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t like it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s probably great,” Seungwoo said, smacking his tongue. “But not with mint and chocolate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he giggled. “Didn’t think about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S’like drinking a piña colada at the dentist,” Seungwoo scowled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no,” Seungsik said, not at all sorry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here,” Seungwoo said, scooping out a spoonful of his own. “You taste it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, that’s okay,” he said, leaning back. “I believe you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no, I insist,” Seungwoo said, moving his spoon towards his mouth. “Eat it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eat it,” he said through his teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik blinked and opened his mouth before immediately regretting it once the taste hit his tongue. “Oh god.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sucks doesn’t it,” Seungwoo nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no, that’s awful,” he said, his face scrunched up. “It’s almost like mint, chocolate, and pineapple don’t go together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t say,” he said. He sat back in his place, satisfied that they were once again </span>
  <em>
    <span>even</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finished off their ice cream while offering weak insults that sounded more like compliments when read between the lines, and it continued on into the kitchen where they ended up to clean up the small mess they had made.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me something,” Seungwoo said as he cleared the trash.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What were you going to say earlier,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When you stopped by my place,” he said. “It seemed like something was on your mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Seungsik said, avoiding eye contact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know that me saying that I’m here for you voluntarily means that you can tell me when things are bothering you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik thought to himself for a moment before speaking. “You’re really too much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo nodded and looked away. The words stung more than he had probably meant for them to, but it was something Seungwoo needed to hear. He had thought so himself for the last few days, but without the confirmation from Seungsik, he would have continued to move closer to him without hesitation. He needed a reminder that everything they were to each other needed to be on Seungsik’s terms. That was the deal he had made with himself when he allowed himself to have feelings, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If it were up to him there would have been no physical or emotional distance between them at all anymore, but it wasn’t up to him. Not really. But at least now the line had been drawn clearly enough for him to see it from the cloud he had floated up too highly on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Seungwoo said honestly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no, no,” he said urgently. “I mean, I just don’t feel like I’ve done anything to deserve it is all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo let out a sharp exhale and shook his head. “You don’t have to do anything. You deserve anything I can do for you and more because you’re a good person. You never have to do anything. You don’t know how much I wish I could do more for you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why,” he asked, his voice cracking. He took a step forward, and Seungwoo felt like a giant wave had pushed him back against the counter, but he steadied himself to keep himself from falling backwards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I like-,” he started, almost saying too much. “I like seeing you happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why,” he asked again, looking at him like a startled owl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo laughed and looked away, unable to face him anymore. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back away to get some space so he could compose himself. “What do you mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>why?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you care if I’m happy or not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re friends, right,” Seungwoo asked as an answer. “Or good neighbors. That’s what people do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re friends,” he agreed. “But-...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo dropped his arms to his sides. What was he supposed to say? That he liked him? That he could have very well been in love with him? That he had the world’s worst crush on him? That seeing Seungsik happy was the most powerful boost of serotonin he had ever experienced? He couldn’t say any of it. He couldn’t tell him anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All he could do was make unconditional promises and try his best to keep them, and one of those promises he had made without telling him happened to be to make Seungsik happy for both selfish and unselfish reasons. Telling him would have probably reversed anything he had done to make that possible so he couldn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me,” Seungsik said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell you what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever it is you refuse to,” he said. “I can take it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo let out a weak laugh and closed his eyes, hanging his head in despair. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“But I can’t.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” he said as he took a final step forward. He reached out and grabbed Seungwoo’s forearm and frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going crazy,” he said, pulling away. “You can’t say what you wanted to say so why do I have to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fair,” Seungsik said, curling his hands into fists and loosening them again over and over again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo noticed how much he fidgeted and reached out to take both of his hands in his to calm him, but something inside himself shifted as soon as he did, having the opposite effect on him. Maybe it was how small Seungsik looked in that moment, but a thin crack appeared in Seungwoo’s growing shell of self control, and he pulled him closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop me,” he said, barely audibly, as he pulled Seungsik towards him, unable to stop himself anymore on his own. He held Seungsik’s wrists in his hands, but only enough to guide him. He could have broken away whenever he wanted to if he wanted to, but Seungsik let himself be pulled without a moment of hesitation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why should I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo shook his head. He let out a soft whine in pain as his hands traveled up Seungsik’s arms while he stood before him patiently, only held in place by his own curiosity. “Please stop me before I do something terrible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched as his own hands moved up to Seungsik’s shoulders where they stopped at the base of his neck, frozen by how soft the skin was there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why wasn’t he stopping him? Why wasn’t he saying anything? Why was he letting him do this to him? Did he feel bad for him? Was he tolerating his feelings because of how kind of a person he was? Why wasn’t he stopping him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why won’t you stop me,” he blurted out in frustration, begging for one of them to snap out of it before it was too late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I don’t want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s eyes flickered up to his face, startled. Seungsik looked back at him unafraid, but his expression was too serious as his frown deepened and his eyebrows drew together. There was no giggling or shifting away then. He looked back at Seungwoo bravely, and it scared him enough that Seungwoo was able to tear himself away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m doing too much,” he whispered, suffering too much to look at him again, but a hand went to his cheek and turned his face back towards him before the other hand found his other cheek to carefully cup too. Seungwoo frowned. “Don’t you hate this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Seungsik said. “Do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s hands cautiously moved back up to where they had rested underneath Seungsik’s jaw a second before. All of his energy was completely depleted from fighting with himself, and defeated, he left them fall. His hands slid down his chest all the way to Seungsik’s sides where they tangled themselves in his shirt at his waist like it was a lifeline. “No, but I hate myself right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why,” he said, tilting his head. He still cradled Seungwoo’s face in his hands firmly enough that all Seungwoo could do to get away from him was close his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If you’re doing this much, you know why.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to comfort me,” Seungwoo said. “I’m fine. I’ll get over it. I won’t become another problem for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed, incredulous, and dropped his hands before pressing his face down against his shoulder. The grip Seungwoo had on his shirt loosened enough that he could slide his arms around his back and pull him into a hug. “Is that what I’m doing? Do you feel comforted?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Seungwoo strained hopelessly as he squeezed him. “This wouldn’t have happened if you had told me what you were going to in the first place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik burst out into a laugh that tickled his neck as Seungwoo held him. He wasn’t sure what the joke was, but at least one of them was happy. “How is this my fault?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a master of deflection, that’s how!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, it’s my fault,” he sighed, his shoulders dropping as he let his weight fall completely against Seungwoo’s body, tired too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad you agree,” Seungwoo said, idly stroking the back of his head. This was better. This didn’t hurt. This didn’t make him feel like he was going to break him. This he could handle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik was quiet for a while, deep in thought, but Seungwoo was just grateful that he wasn’t asking him to say anything else because he had been completely drained of his common sense, his energy, and his sense of self preservation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But really, do you hate this,” Seungsik asked finally. “Me, like this. Do you want me to stop?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo craned his neck away so he could look at him and gave his shoulder a soft nudge to get his attention. Seungsik looked up, expectant, and that’s when he realized how close they were. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was different than when he had given him his forehead goodnight kiss because Seungsik had been a cross between a character from a fairytale and a grumpy child, but now he was fully participating in what could have been the stupidest decision of Seungwoo’s life. “Does it look like I do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He saw Seungsik’s eyes flicker down to his mouth and back up at him, a faint warmth to his cheeks that Seungwoo had grown quite fond of. Chest to chestc they inched closer to each other, an aura of unsureness between them that made it all that much more alluring. Perhaps, they were both losing their minds, or, perhaps, Seungwoo’s delusions had become contagious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure what force was pulling them together, but all he knew was that even though his brain was screaming for him to stop, he wasn’t going to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tilted his head down slightly to meet him, the tip of his nose grazing Seungsik’s cheek as he moved closer, and heard him inhale deeply with a single haggard breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Stop me,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungwoo whispered, close enough that when he spoke, his top lip caught the faintest amount of skin at the corner of Seungsik’s mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>But it was the sound of a familiar electric beep followed by a metallic click that pulled them out of the spell they were under right before their lips touched and undid everything. Seungsik tore away, horrified by the sound of an intruder in his home, and Seungwoo reached for a knife in the drainboard ready to fight whomever it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Honey, I’m home!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> a high toned, rough voice called out from the front of the apartment. Seungsik’s face lit up as he turned and ran towards it, not at all worried anymore. Seungwoo put back the </span>
  <em>
    <span>spoon</span>
  </em>
  <span> he had armed himself with and followed him into the living room where he found the stranger who also knew Seungsik’s door code.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A man with longish hair, piercings, and tattoos that peeked out from underneath the black shirt he wore dropped his bags and threw his arms around Seungsik who greeted him with a tight hug and a couple excited kisses to his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing here,” Seungsik cried out, squeezing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My flight got in early so I thought I’d drop by and surprise you,” he said, his voice strained from the grip around his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you so much,” he said, and it sounded like he meant it from the bottom of his heart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo stood awkwardly behind them while they caught up with each other, unsure if he was supposed to speak up or quietly leave so that he wouldn’t disturb them. He wished he had kept the spoon so that he would have had something to do with his hands that awkwardly fumbled around with his pockets now that they weren’t holding onto Seungsik. Seungwoo coughed quietly, hoping to get their attention so that he wouldn’t just be a creepy onlooker intruding on a private moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Seungsik shouted once he realized he was still there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They pulled away from each other, sort of, to face Seungwoo, and Seungwoo immediately wished that he had picked the sneak out option because this was much worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungwoo, this is my Hanse,” Seungsik said proudly, his arm around his shoulders. “Hanse, this is my neighbor Seungwoo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you,” they both said at the same time. Seungwoo took note of how Hanse’s hand was around Seungsik’s waist as he turned into him. They must have been close considering how they clung onto each other so comfortably and openly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know you had company,” Hanse said, eyeing Seungwoo suspiciously like he was sizing him up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I was just leaving,” Seungwoo said with a smile, forcing himself to ignore the way Seungsik couldn’t look at him as if they had done something to be ashamed of because </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> was too hard to acknowledge. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was better to leave anyway because on top of being shy, he also had a wave of guilt growing in his stomach for basically feeling Seungsik up in the kitchen, and Hanse was there to see him without the added company. Maybe they had done something to be ashamed of...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But if Hanse noticed that there was anything weird going on, he was polite enough to not point it out, but then again,!Seungwoo thought that if </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> had just landed after a long flight, he probably wouldn’t have noticed if his friend and his friend’s neighbor were acting shifty either. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Actually, that was even more of a reason for him to get out quickly because Hanse was probably exhausted and didn’t want to go through the emotional labor of sitting up with Seungwoo and Seungsik who would be too busy pretending like everything was normal to be very good company anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So after exchanging a few necessary pleasantries, Seungwoo was out of there, and he was free to get knocked down by the wave of emotions buzzing through him that he did a very good job of suppressing for so long. He darted into his apartment and collapsed onto the floor in what would have probably closely resembled a Child’s Pose if he was hiding in the back of a yoga class.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What did I just do? What did I just almost do? Oh god, I was going to kiss him. I was going to kiss him right on his pretty face like I told myself I wasn’t going to do, but why didn’t he stop me?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo gently banged his head against the floor and made an agonized noise. Why didn’t he stop him even when Seungwoo begged him to? Did he feel sorry for him? Was he being self-sacrificial? Why would he do that? Seungwoo would have rather been rejected… that would have felt better than being pitied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rolled over onto his back and clutched his chest. This was worse than having unknown stomach pains. This was much worse than having feelings because at least when he was suffering by himself, Seungsik wasn’t handing himself over to him like an emotional martyr. At least when he was suffering by himself, only one of them had to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why won’t you stop me?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Because I don’t want to.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stop me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t he stop me,” he said to himself quietly as he stared up at his ceiling, replaying every moment from the kitchen incident until he committed them all to memory, but the more he thought about it, the less it made sense. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought that Seungsik wanted him to do it.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No, that wouldn’t make sense. He doesn’t like me like that. He was just trying to make me feel better. He-</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo closed his eyes tight and swallowed, finding it hard to breathe.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do you want me to stop?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Does it look like I do?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head and sat up, overwhelmed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I didn’t stop it. He gave me the same choice, and I didn’t stop either. I asked him to stop me, and he gave me the choice to, and I didn’t. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached over himself and touched the same places that Seungsik had touched, trying to remember everything. He hadn’t put his hands there for him. He had only pulled him closer with the option open for Seungsik to step back and leave him there to regather himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pushed his palm down hard on his shoulder where his head had been before hugging himself, trying to replicate the compression that had almost saved him. In that moment he had whined, and he had laughed, and he had almost been ready to push himself away from Seungsik without making any mistakes until… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pressed his hand to his cheek, finding the last memory he needed to put all the pieces together. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He wanted me to.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EHE</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Separated and Sorted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo does his laundry.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungwoo wasn’t sure how long he spent lying on the floor making the most indiscernible noises he had ever heard come from his own mouth, but it was all he could do to keep himself from screaming. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik wanted him to kiss him. At least, he was pretty sure he did, but any doubt in his mind had been overpowered by all the signs that were left in little memory points all over his body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had been so close, all the while beating himself up, but he had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>there. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Both of them were completely complicit in the moments that lead up to a kiss that never happened, but to him that was enough to convince himself that there was nothing wrong with wanting him so much. He wasn’t the corrupted fool he thought he was, and now he knew he had a chance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kiss didn’t happen, but in a way he was glad he didn’t. He didn’t want to remember it as a moment of comfort or weakness. He wanted it to be loving and thoughtful without the threat of guilt poisoning it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because this was a person he felt drawn to and protective of. This was a person who he treasured deeply. This was a person he wanted to care for him in the same way he did, and as he stared up at his ceiling, hoping with all his might, he thought that it might have, in the end, been possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat up wide eyed, and blinked away the stars in his eyes from the rush of blood to his head. “I’ve gotta tell Chan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached for his pocket to get his phone only to discover that it wasn’t there. Seungwoo frowned and thought that he must have left it charging somewhere so he checked his inferior couch where the cord was, but it wasn’t there either. Seungwoo checked his room, the kitchen, and even the bathroom, but he couldn’t find it so he tried his best to remember where the last place was that he had it, and to his horror, he was pretty sure he had set it down on Seungsik’s coffee table when he went to get their ice cream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>super </span>
  </em>
  <span>excited that it seemed like Seungsik wanted him to kiss him, he was not ready to look him in the eye yet. Also, Seungsik wasn’t even home alone assuming his friend hadn’t left. Seungwoo didn’t even know how late it was to consider himself an intrusion because he </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t have his phone</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need it,” he said. “I can live without a phone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He brushed his hands together and sauntered back into the living room, satisfied enough to never see it again, but before he sat down, a tiny voice in his head decided to send a shock right up his spine, making him sweat.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What if Chan sends me something stupid, and Seungsik sees it?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god,” he said out loud as he hurried across his apartment, out the door, and to the apartment directly across from his. He knocked anxiously with the thought that whatever Chan could have said would have been worse than facing each other after the almost slip up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the door opened, Seungwoo expected to see Seungsik, but instead it was Hanse who had since changed into a sleeveless shirt and boxers like he lived there. It was a little startling, if he was honest, but he supposed it was only right to get comfortable… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked tired like he had been sleeping, and Seungwoo wondered how late it really was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you need something?” Hanse yawned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I left my phone here,” he said nervously, eyes shifting back into the dark apartment that had always been a little too bright. “Where’s Seungsik?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s in bed,” he said, taking a step back so Seungwoo could step in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo quietly walked into the apartment so he wouldn’t make any unnecessary noise, retrieved his phone, and got the hell out of there before he accidentally woke his sleeping neighbor. Hanse saw him out, and something about that felt particularly unusual like Seungwoo wasn’t supposed to be there like he was invading their private space, but he wasn’t invading their space, he was invading Seungsik’s, and Seungsik didn’t even know it. But still, it was strange.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he was safe back in his own home, he decided to change into his pajamas for the night, see if Chan was awake, and maybe make himself something to eat in that order. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened up the curtains again so he could see the city, turned his tv on to something low in the background for a little </span>
  <em>
    <span>ambience, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and pulled up his best friend’s name for some last minute post-almost-smoochie coping.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>hey you busy</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>we’ve been friends since like middle school and you always start messages like this</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>even when our ancient ass phone plans only gave us 100 texts a month</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>it’s always hey you busy</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>not hey i missed you</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>or hey i bought you some cake</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>do you want some cake</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>… maybe</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo:</b>
  <span> it’s not even your birthday </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i bet if seungsik wanted a cake you would give it to him even if it wasnt his birthday 😒</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>…. are you jealous?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>NO !!!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i mean it’s not like you’ve been spending all your free time with your boyfriend 😒😒😒</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>he’s not my boyfriend</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>yet</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>ahaha…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>HAS THERE BEEN AN UPDATE?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i thought you were busy pouting </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i am but i’m too invested not to ask</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>send me a cake and i’m not busy</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>?????? ???????</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>chocolate please c:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>oh my god alright hold on</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo shook his head and pulled up the app he used to order food and found a place that sold cakes, cookies, and other sweet things. He sent a slice to Chan’s address and huffed, hoping that would at least make up for how selfish he had been only worrying about himself for the whole week.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>ok put some pants on</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>YOU SENT ME A CAKE?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>yeah….</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>BRO</span>
  <b> 🥺🥺🥺</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>yeah yeah</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i should have said steak instead of cake if i knew it was gonna be that easy</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>!!!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>just kidding :3</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>tell me what happened oh kind and generous one</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>well for starters i almost kissed him</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: 👀 </b>
  <span>like you saw him and thought well that looks like a face i could smooch or like</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>no like i really almost did for real</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i need details</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>ehhhh</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>make me cringe it’s fine i can take it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>idk if i can take it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>why did you text me then if you’re just going to give me scraps 😭 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>alright fine</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>ok so we were in the kitchen</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>yeah 👀 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>we had just finished eating some ice cream</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i want some ice cream</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>no</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>okay</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>anyways</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>so we were in the kitchen</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>and idk i was already kind of emotional thinking about how i can make his life better</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>yeah that sounds about right</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>:|</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>dont look at me i’m not the one in love with my neighbor because he fed me </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>do you want me to cancel your cake order</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>nooooo don’t take my cake away you’re so sexy aha</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i’m totally team 2seung for real keep going</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>you’re such a pain in my ass 😭 but alright so i don’t really know how it happened but he was asking me about my Feelings and I’m not trying to talk about THOSE and he got really close and there was touching</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>D:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>NOT THAT KIND OF TOUCHING</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>like faces and arms and waists and shit nothing too spicy</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>and i was trying so hard to control myself because im not trying to fuck shit up but omg he’s so pretty i can’t even describe it it’s like he’s like what would happen if a teddy bear came alive</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>wouldnt that just be like a regular bear</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>no it’s different </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>shut up</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>:DDDDD</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>ok go on</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>so i was losing my mind right like anyone would have done and i asked him to tell me not to basically because i figured that would knock some sense into me BUT THEN HE HAD THE AUDACITY TO TELL ME NO ????</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>BRO AND YOU DIDNT DO IT? </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>NO I WAS SO CLOSE MY MOUTH BARELY TOUCHED HIM AND THEN HIS FRIEND SHOWED UP LIKE HONEYYYY IM HOOOOME AND NOW IVE BEEN EMOTIONALLY BLUE BALLED AND IDK HOW TO COPE</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>lol just emotionally?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i dont wanna talk about it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>that’s fair i respect that</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>but who’s the friend?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>idk i didnt stay long enough to get his life story but he came in and stopped us and i am a little disoriented from it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>they must be close if he would just let himself in this late at night lol does sik usually have guests</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>not that ive ever noticed but its not like i stare out the peephole all day waiting to find out but they seemed pretty close to me</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>close enough that he hugged and kissed him and they were pretty clingy lol as friends are i guess</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>he said theyre friends?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>no he didnt really say anything about it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>huh</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>what</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>when is the last time you hugged and kissed one of your friends lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>ಠ_ಠ</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>… alright </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>anyways idk it’s not really my business but they havent seen each other in a while so i didnt ask</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>lol if my future boyfriend was kissing people i would make it my business</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>well then it’s a good thing he’s not your future boyfriend then isnt it lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>ouch???</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>ehehehe but idk i’m not really bothered by it </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>what a man</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i know i’m a catch i know</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>lol you know what would be funny tho</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo:</b>
  <span> what</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>what if the guy he wanted him to kiss him goodnight was his friend and you just happened to be there instead lol</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked down at the message, and his stomach dropped. He knew Chan was joking, but it was a possibility he hadn’t considered. Well, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> that it was highly likely that Seungsik was just blubbering mindlessly in his sleep so even if it had been precious to him, he was aware that it was only precious to </span>
  <em>
    <span>him, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but he didn’t really think up until having it said to him that maybe there was someone else he wanted to give him a goodnight kiss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blinked and saw Seungsik running up to the stranger boldly and happily unlike how reserved he had been when it was just the two of them. He saw the kisses he left on his cheek, and the way Hanse kept his hand around his waist even when their attention was broken.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is my Hanse. My Hanse.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My neighbor Seungwoo.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo frowned and picked his phone back up.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>hey if I introduced you to seungsik and called him my neighbor what would you think</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>that he was your neighbor lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>what if i called him my seungsik</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i would think you two were too in love to be let out in public please don’t do that 🤢 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>ah ok thanks</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>OOP GOTTA GO CAKE’S HERE</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>alright i think ima head to bed anyway goodnight</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>(´∀｀) 🍰</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo tossed his phone to the side and covered his face. He had been so stupid and so self centered that he didn’t once consider that Seungsik had a boyfriend, and he had thrown himself into the mix like a shiny piece of cake for the taking even without considering that perhaps that wasn’t a good idea for anyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Long distance relationships were hard enough, and if the two of them had gone too long without seeing each other, Seungsik might have unknowingly craved attention that Seungwoo was more than happy to give him whenever he wanted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And if the temptation was there as strongly as it was…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” Seungwoo cried out, sliding down onto his back. “I’m a homewrecker.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik couldn’t be blamed at all. He had been nice to Seungwoo because Seungwoo was in distress, and Seungwoo had been very much inclined to insert himself into his life, but if he had been lonely…</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Where’s Seungsik?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He’s in bed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse answered his friend’s door in his underwear for him in the middle of the night while half asleep? No, that wasn’t right. That didn’t seem normal. That wasn’t a thing people did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he was pretty sure that he didn’t see any pillows and blankets on the couch when he came in which meant that they had probably been asleep together… Because that’s what couples did in their own apartment when people showed up in the middle of the night. One of them quietly got up so that he wouldn’t disturb the other while the sleeping one stayed in bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so stupid,” he said, ready to come out of his own skin. His stomach twisted himself in knots as he put the final pieces together. He had been a threat to a perfectly innocent relationship only because he hadn’t been paying attention. He had said things that weren’t his place to say, and he had thought things that weren’t okay for him to think. He had wanted a person who didn’t need to be disrupted, and most of all, he had almost kissed him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wouldn’t make that mistake again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo pulled himself together and headed to bed, skipping anything else he may have wanted to do that night, but he was grateful at least that he didn’t have work in the morning because he knew he faced a long sleepless night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If it wasn’t guaranteed to make things a thousand times worse, he would have marched his ass across the hall to make things right and apologize to them both, but he doubted that if Seungsik had any sense of self preservation he would ever mention any of it to his partner.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey this is my weird neighbor who broke into our place, ate our food, spent the whole week bothering me, and then tried to grope me over the sink. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh nice to meet you please take my boyfriend he’s yours.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thanks I’ll be sure to bring him back before it gets too far past his bedtime.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo pounded his fist in his pillow in frustration. He couldn’t apologize or say anything, but he could do the next best thing. He could remove himself from Seungsik’s life so that Seungsik could have peace, so that was exactly what he intended to do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next morning, Seungwoo woke up in a fog, his mind somewhere else completely. A bottle of soju for breakfast seemed like a good idea, but he knew better than that. He was a big boy. He could handle a little heartbreak, but everything else in the apartment reminded him of Seungsik in one way or another which wasn’t fair at all because this was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>apartment. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> kitchen, but yet there he was getting sick over the sight of sliced apples and ripened tomatoes. Even the protein bars he had grown fond of had been tainted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t matter because he wasn’t hungry anyway. He decided it would have been best just to go back to sleep and try again later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Little did he know that it was already much later in the day than he had realized because not long after he plopped back down on his mattress that didn’t quite smell like Seungsik anymore did he receive a text message from the person he was avoiding.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>hey</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked down at the screen and sighed. He rubbed his temple feeling a headache coming on as he realized he had no idea what he was supposed to do or say. He couldn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>ignore him, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but how could he continue talking to him without causing any more damage to his relationship?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed that cutting him off was going to be a lot harder than he thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>hey</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>i realized it was kind of crazy making you eat ice cream for dinner so i was wondering if i could make it up to you with something later</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>my treat</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo closed his eyes and pressed his face into his pillow and groaned. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>that’s ok i think it checked off something from my childhood bucket list</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>thanks tho</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hated being cold to him because he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanted to say yes, but this was the best he could do. Even if it sucked for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>just thought i’d ask</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of responding, he set his phone down and tried his best to find anything else to think about, but a few minutes later, a second message came through.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>hey are you ok?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>yeah i’m fine</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>:/ </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>are you sure</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>yeah</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>ok…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>have a good day at work</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>i’m on my break so if you need anything i’m here</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i appreciate that </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>alright</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He assumed that would have been enough, but the next message that came through made him feel like he was going to throw up.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>i think we should talk about what happened last night</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we absolutely should not,” Seungwoo said out loud to his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>i can come by later if you want</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i’m going to be busy later sorry</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>oh,,</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i gotta go tho </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>oh ok have a nice day</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>you too</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was about all the coldness Seungwoo could stomach so to spare them both, he put his phone on silent and left the room without it where he was safe from it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t realize he could be even more bitter about his couch than he already was, but now it was just downright cruel that he had to sit on it, and on top of that, he no longer wanted to finish his drama because it reminded him of Seungsik too. Even the temperature of the room reminded Seungwoo of him. He was right, he was going crazy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few hours passed of idly ignoring the tv and switching back and forth between scrubbing something clean and doing sit-ups to keep his mind busy, but then he noticed that the apartment was already getting darker from the sunset. The day was almost over just like that, and all he had left to endure was a Friday, a Saturday, and a Sunday, and then he could go back to work and throw himself into a cathartic mountain of paperwork. Everything from then on would be easy he thought, until he heard a knock on the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He froze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first it was timid, unsure even, but then after a brief hesitation, it was firm and determined. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungwoo, it’s me,” a familiar voice said. Seungwoo crossed his arms over his chest and fell over. He couldn’t face him because if he did, everything would have become undone. “Please open up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo laid there quietly, his stinging eyes shut. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Go away. </span>
  </em>
  <span>All he could do was wait for him to leave and hope he didn’t put his knowledge of their shared door code to use. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please go away.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to check on you,” Seungsik said, his voice trailing off as he realized no one was listening, so he thought. Then silence fell, and Seungwoo got up carefully to check to see if he was still there. He tiptoed across his apartment and leaned towards the door, first listening, and then he pressed his eye against the peephole to make sure he was gone. When he found nothing but an empty hallway, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed, but this was for their own good. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But for some reason, he couldn’t convince himself that he was doing the right thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He returned to the comfort of his couch, bitter and alone, but it would pass, he knew it. He had grown used to seeing him was all, and it was natural to miss him. It would pass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that was what he told himself as an hour passed while he stared out his window. The city darkened, and the weather was just shitty enough that it blocked out most of the dark, making his apartment feel like not even he was home. He had successfully created an empty apartment for himself. He wasn’t hiding. He just simply wasn’t there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he was doing a very good job of being not there until a second knock came. His heart raced as he waited for him to go away. Seungsik didn’t call out that time, but he did knock again, and Seungwoo’s stomach dropped. He went so far as to hold his breath to not make a sound, but after a little bit of silence, a sound much more startling made him stand to his feet as the familiar electric beep came from the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He braced himself, shocked that Seungsik would let himself in even though Seungwoo had probably invited him to a dozen times, but when the door swung open, the air was knocked from his lungs once he saw that the person freely letting him into his home was Chan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hair soaked from rain and still in his work clothes, Chan greeted him happily and loudly, and Seungwoo rushed over and covered his mouth with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>shhh</span>
  </em>
  <span> before the door fell shut behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan looked at him with wide eyes and raised brows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want anyone to hear you,” Seungwoo whispered, lowering his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why,” he whispered back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m hiding from Seungsik,” he said once they were back in the center of his apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan looked back at him in horror. “Oh my god, is he a serial killer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Seungwoo groaned. “I just think he has a boyfriend is all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he expected sympathy, all he got was a loud amused laugh at a deafening pitch from his friend who acted like the concept was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m serious,” he said. “This is a big deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, then why don’t we go ask him,” Chan suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not,” Seungwoo said, waving his arms. “I don’t want to make things worse than they already are, and besides, I don’t know if his boyfriend is over there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what if he is,” he said. “We can just pretend like we were asking them to join us for pizza or something since it’s not unusual that you would ask </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>boyfriend to have dinner with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s not my-,” he started. “Look, I’m not taking this well so please no jokes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I know you’re not,” Chan said, raising the black plastic bag hooked around his elbow. “I got mayday vibes after you didn’t answer any of my texts so I decided to come to the rescue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t have to,” he said, wandering off to have a seat, but he was glad that Chan did. He already felt a little better having some much needed noise in his suffocating space. “What’s in the bag?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Snacks,” he said. “I know you probably want to drown your pain, but some of us have work tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo laughed. “Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You like cheese puffs,” Chan asked, digging through his sack. “I also got some sausages and some chewing gum.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blinked inquisitively. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s good to chew things when you’re upset,” he explained. “Everyone knows that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do they?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he said. “What do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think the gum,” Seungwoo sighed. “I can’t eat anything yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan frowned. “You have to eat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, but my stomach feels like it’s full of cat litter,” Seungwoo said, rubbing at the ache he had been ignoring. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what they say,” Chan said, swirling around the sealed snack in his hand. “When life gives you cat litter, you eat a sausage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo laughed as he took the snack from him. “Alright, alright, I’ll try.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said, satisfied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them rummaged through Chan’s convenience store haul without saying much. Chan talked about work gossip about people Seungwoo didn’t know, and Seungwoo filled him in on the shows he had been watching on his week off. Seungsik wasn’t mentioned fortunately, but if Seungwoo thought that he was going to get to spend the night alone crying himself to sleep, Chan had other ideas.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His friend stole more of his clothes and took a shower with the intention of staying the night again, but this time having someone asleep next to him wasn’t so much of a nuisance. He was happy to have someone near him to keep him grounded even if there was someone else he wanted to be next to instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t think like that anymore. Not even as a joke. I wouldn’t want someone thinking about my partner like that so I shouldn’t either.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>But even if he cursed himself, he couldn’t stop it, but at least he could live with that on his own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hush,” Chan mumbled, rolling over in his sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” He asked, surprised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re thinking too loud,” he said. “Stop it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Seungwoo said, pressing his head back against his pillow. “I can’t help it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go talk to him,” he mumbled. “Seungsik can fix anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you know,” he asked, pouting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you can fix anything too,” he said as he fell back asleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo frowned and rolled over, not sure what he meant, but he didn’t exactly want an explanation. He just wanted to sleep, so sleep he did, and when he woke he was alone again and not any less stressed than he had been the day before. It seemed that it was going to take more than a few days to feel normal again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Friday came like morning fog that lasted until the afternoon of a humid day, and he couldn’t feel anymore disgusting. Even when he scrubbed himself raw in the shower, he felt his own unease leaking from his pores like tiny sticky beads of sweat on a summer’s day, and it wasn’t until later that afternoon after spending the whole day trying to distract himself that he realized why that was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Friday. In a perfect world, he would have been getting ready to take Seungsik to a fancy restaurant where they could have fought over the check after eating way too much of an overpriced dessert that left them both too tired and lazy so they would have naturally ended up on one of their couches for the night (probably Seungsik’s,) bloated and happy. But his whole week had led to an imperfect world where he was alone and tired and doing his best to not let himself feel heartbroken because it was his fault, wasn’t it? He put the idea in his own head. Every decision that had been made had been his, and he had set himself up for this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But still it was Friday, and how could he keep himself from feeling even worse now that he couldn’t spend it with Seungsik who happened to be one his favorite people in the whole world? Actually, considering that Hanse was back in town, Seungsik was probably going to spend the evening with </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>, as was his right, but that was one of the worst conclusions Seungwoo had come to. He needed a distraction. He needed something to do. And based on the massive pile of work clothes, pajamas, and not-date outfits he had gone through since his last day off, it seemed that his best option for a distraction was to do his laundry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo gathered all of his dirty clothes and towels and stuffed them in a basket with a bottle of detergent  propped on top. He waddled carefully through his apartment to keep himself from knocking it over. He propped the basket on his knee as he let himself through the door, and balanced it in his chest, covering his face, as he side stepped down the stairs to the first floor where the laundry room was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He fumbled with it awkwardly as he tried to set it down on the large sorting table in the center of the room, almost knocking the bottle clean off the top as the basked fell, but as soon as finally got settled and was able to notice that he wasn’t the only building resident in the room, it was Seungwoo’s stomach that almost ended up on the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at him, slightly annoyed, but he didn’t say anything, and Seungwoo didn’t either. Seungwoo hung his head to hide his face with his hair as he tried to set up what he needed to wash his clothes in peace. He turned his back to put the detergent in one of the machines, but he was stopped before he could start.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those are broken,” Seungsik said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, the sign’s gone,” Seungwoo said, pointing. The machines had been out of order on that side for months, but now that the notice had been removed, he was sure they were fine to use.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A kid stole it,” he explained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’d he need it for,” he asked, half joking. Seungsik looked at him and frowned. “Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed and went back to his own laundry, and Seungwoo sighed. He guessed he would have to come back later then, but leaving felt weird like he was openly running away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright then,” Seungwoo said, putting his things back in his basket to leave. Seungsik looked up at him and huffed before reaching across the table and dragging the basket towards himself. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just use these,” he said. “They’re just as good as those are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably better since they work,” Seungwoo mumbled unhelpfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he said flatly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” he said quietly before walking over to his side where he kept enough space between them to fit a whole other washing machine. He slid his basket over to where he stood and started unpacking again. He awkwardly loosened up a pair of wadded up pants and was satisfied enough to wad everything back up so he could shove them all in at once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you going to separate those,” Seungsik asked, looking at his pile and back at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik huffed again and reached into the pile and grabbed all of the white clothes and dragged them to his side. “You need to separate your whites from your colored clothes so they don’t get stained.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They won’t get stained,” he said, taking them back to his side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so your work shirts are supposed to be beige,” he asked sarcastically, taking them back again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re not beige,” Seungwoo grumbled, taking them back from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re dingy,” Seungsik said, dragging them back and throwing them down into his own pile so that Seungwoo couldn’t grab them again without sorting through another person’s socks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter,” he said, frustrated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess there are a lot of things that don’t matter,” he said bitterly to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s mouth went dry, and he paled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let out a sharp </span>
  <em>
    <span>hah</span>
  </em>
  <span> and shook his head. “It’s hard to say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, then don’t say it,”  he said. “Give me back my socks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Seungsik said. “You know, just tell me why you’ve been avoiding me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not avoiding you,” he lied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, not answering my texts for like two days, and when I went to check on you, you didn’t answer your door even though you were home doing nothing-.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How would you know if I was home or not,” Seungwoo asked, his arms folded across his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I saw you sitting on the couch through the window when I got off the bus,” he said. “And Chan was over like an hour later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How would you know that,” he asked, embarrassed that he had been busted for hiding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because he stopped by my place first looking for you,” Seungsik said as he bitterly reached into Seungwoo’s laundry pile for more light colored clothing. Seungwoo winced. Chan hadn’t mentioned </span>
  <em>
    <span>that.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t open the door for him either,” he mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik let out of a frustrated laugh like he was saying </span>
  <em>
    <span>and that’s supposed to make me feel better</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but the problem was that he had no idea that Seungwoo was avoiding him for </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>sake. He had to understand that somehow. “I just don’t understand why you’re mad at me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not mad at you,” he said, honestly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why did you go from </span>
  <em>
    <span>that,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said waving his hands in the shape of a person. “To avoiding me and now you can’t even stand near me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just don’t worry about it, alright,” Seungwoo said. “I was acting crazy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then pretend like it didn’t happen,” he said. “I will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I can’t,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said. “Please give me my clothes back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said. “Put the bleach in the machine for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo opened his mouth to say something, but being told to do something made his brain shut off so he did what he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take your towels out too,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, are you taking them too,” Seungwoo asked, his hands on his hips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Do you want me to sort them for you then? Are you six years old?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just leave my towels alone,” he said. “I can take care of myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Seungsik said like he didn’t believe him, more sarcasm dripping off of his words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you have other people to worry about,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Job cracks, that’s nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo paled and stepped closer to him instinctively. “I wasn’t talking about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then what were you talking about,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He huffed, frustrated. “Your boyfriend for one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My </span>
  <em>
    <span>what,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he asked, knocking the open bottle of detergent over. “Shit!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sucked his teeth and grabbed one of his towels that he had begrudgingly pulled out of the pile and dropped it onto the spilled liquid. He stepped over, forcing Seungsik to move out of the way so he could wipe it up. He then wrapped the soiled clothing in the towel to keep them from smearing detergent all over the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about,” Seungsik asked once the crisis was averted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, I get it,” he said. “I pushed myself onto you and made things harder for you so I’m removing myself from the equation so you don’t have to get hurt. I get how this works.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What equation,” he asked, baffled. “Are you taking algebra again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked at him and scowled, a little hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Seungsik continued. “Is this a joke? Am I on one of those hidden camera shows? Does my mom know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hanse</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he said, almost pleading. “Your boyfriend. You know, that guy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked back at him and blinked. “What the </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell </span>
  </em>
  <span>are going on about? He’s my </span>
  <em>
    <span>friend. </span>
  </em>
  <span>You know, you have at least one of them. Could have two if you didn’t decide to ghost one this week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked back at him confused. “Oh you greet your friends with kisses?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve never kissed one of your friends on the cheek,” Seungsik asked, throwing their laundry down again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s eyes shifted. “I mean, maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t seen my best friend in over a year, and you expect me to, what, shake his hand?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, no,” he said awkwardly. “But then why did you go to bed together?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, like you’ve never shared a bed with one of your friends,” Seungik said, and Seungwoo was suddenly reminded of getting smacked in the face by the back of Chan’s hand in the middle of the night by surprise. “His flight got in too early to check into his hotel so he stayed over, and I’m not trying to make a friend with jet lag sleep it off on the couch, but I still had to go to work in the morning so I couldn’t either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Happy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a little too hard to say that he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy </span>
  </em>
  <span>per se. He was still a little confused, and on top of that, he had acted like a petty child over nothing and probably had ruined things permanently when he was only trying to help. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One more thing,” he said. “So I can clear my head.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You called him </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hanse,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Your</span>
  </em>
  <span> best friend is literally saved in your phone as </span>
  <em>
    <span>dearest husband,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said, tired.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo bit his lip and didn’t say anything else. So Seungsik didn’t have a boyfriend. He had the exact mirror of what Seungwoo and Chan had, and honestly if Seungsik had bombarded him with the same questions that he had, he would have thought that they were just as ridiculous because it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chan. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He supposed to Seungsik that it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hanse. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And Seungwoo was an idiot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like jealous guys,” Seungsik said, interrupting his train of thought. “I’ve never done anything wrong, but I will always choose my friends first. I can’t deal with someone who can’t trust me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I respect that,” he said, still quiet. “And I’m not jealous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at him and raised his brow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not,” Seungwoo insisted. “I just didn’t want to cause you any problems by throwing myself at you like an overzealous clown.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snorted and shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really! I didn’t even care about any of it until I talked to Chan and he pointed out that maybe the person you wanted to kiss you goodnight the other night was Hanse and then I guess I panicked.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at him and blinked. “Who I wanted to what when?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo pressed his lips together in a thin line. “Nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bro,” he said, a little freaked out, with wild eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When you passed out at my place you were asking for goodnight kisses in your sleep,” he explained anxiously. “I wasn’t going to tell you because I didn’t want you to be embarrassed because there was nothing to be embarrassed about at all! It was sweet! Really!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik furrowed his brow. “So did you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Seungwoo said, his voice trailing off as he turned his attention back to his laundry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungwoo!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn't I swear! I wouldn’t kiss you without consent! I just, ah, left a tiny one on your forehead. You know, so you’d sleep well,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought I dreamed that,” he mumbled. “Thank you for not kissing me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-you’re welcome,” Seungwoo said, not sure if he was supposed to get his feelings hurt or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean if you kissed me, I’d want to remember it,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It fell silent from then, the sounds of the machine filling the room, blending with the pounding in Seungwoo’s ears. He was sure that there was a new conclusion to be found somewhere in there, but he had done enough thinking for a lifetime. He just wanted to be quiet and finish his laundry and sleep for a year until this whole conversation became nothing but a dream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But did that mean he still wanted to? Even after all of this? He shouldn’t have… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Seungwoo was thinking quietly to himself, he happened to notice Seungsik pull his phone out of his pocket, and once he did, a flash of light caught him from the corner of his eye. He looked at Seungsik’s arm and blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re still wearing your bracelet,” he said, stunned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked down at his half of their couple bracelets and gave it a shake. “Why shouldn’t I? I paid for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s true,” Seungwoo said, embarrassed for saying anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re still wearing yours,” he pointed out after a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want it back,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said. “It’s yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Seungwoo said. “But what if you want to give it to someone one day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s yours,” Seungsik insisted, annoyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll come take it then,” he asked. “When you find someone to give it to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know this is the first time I’ve been dumped by someone I’m not dating,” he said with a sharp exhale, gripping the side of the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not dumping you,” Seungwoo said, dumbfounded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you?” Seungsik asked. “I’m sorry, but the mixed signals are giving me whiplash, and I can’t deal with it right now. I’m stressed enough without the extra help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not trying to stress you out,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then what are you trying to do,” he asked. “Please enlighten me so I can get on board.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo dropped what he had in his hands and paced the room. “I don’t know, right now I’m trying to figure out how to make this up to you, but so far I’m coming up short.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you done ignoring me then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to want me to stop after this,” he asked. “Aren’t you pissed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I’m pissed,” Seungsik said. “I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>worried. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I haven’t slept in days, and you’ve got the fucking olympic gold in jumping to conclusions. Why would I not be mad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, you should be mad,” he said, out of breath. “But I only did this because I was scared of what it would do to you if you cheated on your boyfriend because you’re not the kind of person who would do that, and I knew if it happened, it would have been my fault, and I thought if I removed myself from your life, you could be happy and guilt free.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me, which part of this isn’t supposed to sound self righteous,” he asked, angry. “You’re allowed to be scared of getting hurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am hurt,” Seungwoo said. “And it’s not because of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then what can I do about it,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pretend like you don’t know so I can deal with it with a little bit of dignity,” he said sadly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I don’t know what? That you’re hurting?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, like you don’t know I-,” Seungwoo said, taking a breath. “I’m going crazy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do we have to do this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s part of the healing process,” he said flatly, but his eyes were a lot kinder than they had been since they finally faced each other. Maybe saying something would help them both heal or at least save him from drowning in his own feelings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Seungwoo said, resolved. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since Sunday, and it sucks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why is that such a bad thing,” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I’m fucking dying here, and there’s nothing I can do about it,” he practically wailed, ready to burst into tears at any moment. “I’m trying so hard to ignore it but…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at him with shaking eyes, that unwavering bravery again that had almost broken him before. It was a bravery that he himself knew he didn’t have but he envied. “So do something about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want me to do,” Seungwoo asked, tired and leaning against the table to hold himself up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want you to get your head out of your ass and tell me you like me,” he blurted out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked back at him and straightened up. “No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do it,” he said, taking a little bit of that bravery for himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need you to tell me if you like me so I can know what I’m supposed to do,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I like you,” Seungsik said, breaking eye contact. By then the washer had finished, and he was saved by the bell so to speak. He turned his back to him to switch out the clothes for a different load, giving Seungwoo a chance to catch his breath. He turned back around and asked him another question. “Why does this have to be hard?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” he said. “Me, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been easy, right? Spending time together? We’re so close, but now I don’t know anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re still close,” Seungwoo said. “I will literally spend every day trying to make this up to you. It’s only hard because of me, and I know that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded. “So how long do I have to wait before you let me come close to you again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo took a step towards him and slipped his finger around his pinky. “This is close, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he laughed weakly, as he curled his hand into a small fist around his fingers. “This is close.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned towards him and pulled Seungwoo into a hug, and Seungwoo rested his chin on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” he said softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Next time can you ask me before making such big decisions that involve both of us,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he said. “You’ll have to sign off on everything from now on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he said, squeezing him. “And Seungwoo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t need to hold yourself back again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean,” he asked before turning his face down onto his shoulder to hide, afraid that he knew exactly what he meant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The kitchen,” Seungsik said. “What happened… you’re not the only one…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said quietly. “What about now, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In the laundry room,” he asked, pulling back slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unless you’re still pissed…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not pissed,” he insisted. “I just wanted to understand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then yes, the laundry room,” he said. “I don’t want to wait anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a good point,” Seungsik said. He looked back at him and idly licked his lips in anticipation, but Seungwoo was too shy to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>kiss him. </span>
  </em>
  <span>After all of that build up? What was he supposed to do? Leave a quick thank you peck on his lips for not hating him? Shove his tongue down his throat like he was bobbing for apples? His brain shut down, and all he could do was panic so he buried his face back into his shoulder while he figured out what he was supposed to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Change your mind?” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chicken out?” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little bit,” Seungwoo admitted. “Just give me a minute, I’m under a lot of pressure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take your time,” he coddled him with a giggle as he rubbed his back for comfort.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can wait,” Seungsik said. “It doesn’t have to be now. Or in the laundry room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shut up,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he groaned, more amused than bothered. He left a soft kiss on his neck, overcome by the affection he had towards him that had come out screaming at the sound of a giggle even though he had spent so much energy trying to suppress it. Seungsik’s head tilted back at the touch, and it gave him an idea. He moved up slightly, leaving another kiss on his jugular, expecting to be teased for it, but he was met by a deep inhale that was a welcome sound in a quiet room. He smiled to himself, feeling mischievous before leaving a third kiss right under his ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Curious hands dropped to his lower back as his own moved up to cup his jaw, turning it slightly so he could kiss his cheek. He felt himself tremble from nerves, but it felt right. This was what he had wanted the most. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He left a faint trail of kisses that barely touched the skin until he found the corner of his mouth, and Seungsik’s breath hitched. He held back his own smile as he finally kissed him chastly on the mouth, lingering just a moment before pulling back and leaving another one and another one, each just as precious as the one before it. He felt Seungsik smile against him, encouraging him, so he took his bottom lip in his mouth and tilted his head slightly to deepen the kiss as they both reacted to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo became eager and desperate as all of his pent up feelings exploded at the surface, but Seungsik grabbed and pulled at him like he was searching for something to hold onto. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m right here. I won’t let go of you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The next thing he knew, he heard a thud as Seungsik’s back hit one of the machines, and Seungwoo’s hands went up to the metal behind him to brace himself up while Seungsik’s fingers tangled themselves in his hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Seungwoo,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he said, gasping for air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungwoo asked, pulling back a little bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t ask me to stop you again,” he said quietly, panting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he said before falling back into a long deprived kiss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa, looks like these are taken,” a third voice said that made them both jump. Seungwoo looked over his shoulder, one of his arms still pressed against the washer to hold himself up as he regarded the man similar in age to them with bright blue hair holding his own laundry basket and a bottle of purple Downy fabric softener. He smiled at them brightly and laughed. “I guess I’ll come back later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo froze in place as he watched him turn and leave with a wink, and he was determined not to move until he was out of sight again because he was too ashamed, but a hand went to his jaw and turned him back towards Seungsik why then raked his bottom lip over Seungwoo’s mouth, and a groan escaped from deep in Seungwoo’s throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know we should stop, but-,” Seungsik started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what,” he asked between kisses that had turned sloppy and erratic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to get caught,” he said, still tugging at his clothes unlike someone who </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>cared whether they were at risk or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We just did,” Seungwoo said as he followed his trail back over his cheek and down his neck, biting gently into his shoulder just for the reaction he got from it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now we </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> can’t get caught,” he whispered, pulling him back to his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungwoo laughed against his mouth. “Did that do something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know damn well that did something,” he grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He cupped his cheeks gently and pulled back, making sure to look back sweetly. “Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik’s eyes stretched wide as he pretended to pound his fist against Seungwoo’s chest. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Mean.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo dropped his face and stepped back, but not before taking his hands in his. “I can’t help but play with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s because you’re a child,” he grumbled before taking his place back into his arms for a healing hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said, leaving a kiss on the side of his head. “It’s because I like you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you saying it then,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s only fair since you did,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s true,” he sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo craned his neck back and frowned. “What’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed again and placed his face on Seungwoo’s shoulder. “It shouldn’t have been this hard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not because of you,” Seungsik said. “Both times I came by your place this week, well the first two I mean, I tried to ask you out, but I chickened out both times, and none of this would have happened if I had just gotten it out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t your fault,” Seungwoo said, practically cradling him. “I couldn’t ask either. We just needed a little push.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess so,” he sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So about that,” he said nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo stepped back. “We already wear couple bracelets.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we’ve gone on a few dates, I’d guess,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d say so,” Seungsik nodded in agreement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did either of us have to ask?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We shouldn’t have right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Seungwoo said. “Why don’t we skip that step.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Much too formal,” he agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what if no one asks,” he offered. “And we both just agree that if anyone else asks, it’s a no.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think that’s fair,” Seungsik said. “And as far as other things that we might have questions about…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stepped forward and placed his lips on the corner of his mouth carefully. “You don’t have to ask either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo wrapped his arms around his neck and stood there quietly. “When was the question ever off the table?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At the market,” he said after a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about Sunday,” Seungwoo teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sunday, you were too tired,” he said simply. “Like me Tuesday night. It wasn’t okay yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed. “That’s fair. So no more questions then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unless you have any we shouldn’t ask,” Seungsik said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not yet,” he considered. “But I think a couple might come up soon, and I want you to know my answer will be yes when yours is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” he said right before the dryer buzzer went off, snapping the two of them out of it again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They went back to the sorting table and finished washing and drying both of their piles, stealing kisses along and along, with Seungwoo insisting that he did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>have to sort everything separately, but he liked getting bossed around a little too much to resist doing what he was told.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their clothes ended up getting mixed together in a large confused pile, but since they lived right next door to each other and were now dating apparently, it wasn’t that strange to cut the pile in half and stuff each half into their baskets to take back together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They ended up in Seungsik’s apartment that was just as bright as always to figure out what belonged to whom. They dumped their baskets onto the floor that Seungsik had cleaned just before he left and spent under an hour trading and folding until everything seemed to go back to who it belonged to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He put all of his folded clothes and towels back into his basket and turned to Seungsik who looked a little tired as expected since it was late into the evening on a Friday night and decided to ask a question. “Can I see something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” he said, a little confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo stood up and moved towards the couch and sat down before lying down on it and letting out a satisfied sigh. “It’s just as good as I thought it would be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed as he stood up and walked towards him, taking a seat on the edge of the cushion next to him. “Is that all?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he said before he pulled him down with him and slid his own arm under his neck for support.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you trying to spoon me on my own couch,” he giggled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s my couch, remember,” he said into the back of his head. “You gave it to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh right, I forgot,” he said, settling into his arms. “It has to stay here, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sighed. “I know, I know, I’ll just have to come here every day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the idea,” Seungsik said. Seungwoo hooked his arm over his chest and tickled him underneath his chin like a cat before reaching into his pocket and digging out his phone. He held it over them until Seungsik finally took it from him. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Food,” Seungwoo said. “It’s our tradition, and I want to feed you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It makes me feel like a good boyfriend,” he said. “Order whatever you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then what does that make me,” he grumbled, shifting awkwardly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo pushed himself up and looked down at him as Seungsik rolled over onto his back with a pout. “You bought me ice cream, picked out all my groceries for me, ate my terrible cooking, rescued me when I was in distress before you even knew my name, and you bought me my first couple bracelet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached down and cupped his face, rubbing his cheek with his thumb. “I wanted to take you somewhere tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to take care of you like you take care of me,” he explained. “You’re already the best boyfriend so pick out whatever you want, we can put on a movie, and if you fall asleep, let me carry you to bed again because it makes me feel good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He flushed slightly and looked away. Seungwoo’s fingers trailed down his neck where the vein bulged, but he let his hand slide behind his head to his hairline instead of wandering where it shouldn’t have.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If that’s okay,” he added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need a minute,” Seungsik said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did I say too much,” Seungwoo asked, sitting back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik sat up too and brushed himself off. “No, no, not at all, but I never thought delivery would be considered a romantic gesture.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would like to remind you of how Sunday went,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, right,” he chuckled and hung his head. Seungwoo leaned over and put his head on his shoulder. “Is tonkatsu okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tonkatsu’s great,” he said. “Anything else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beer,” he mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have that at my place,” Seungwoo said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kisses,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo giggled. “I thought we weren’t supposed to ask for those anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not asking,” Seungsik said as he turned his head and left his own kiss on Seungwoo’s cheek warmly. Seungwoo smiled to himself as he gave Seungsik a tight squeeze, and he fully intended to fulfill that request after they ordered up until the moment the delivery person came with their dinner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And the fact that he got to kiss him as much as he wanted in whatever way he wanted on his favorite couch was only icing on the cake.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I was really stressed about this chapter because I was worried that the angst would turn everyone away and that the kiss wouldn’t be a good enough pay off but it was an important chapter for their relationship growth and there isn’t any more angst in this fic so sorry for this 😭 i hope it was still enjoyable</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Soft Boys</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo and Seungsik get used to their budding relationship.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Grab your blankets fellas we’re going to fluff town</p><p>Chooo chooo</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After spending a little too much time getting well acquainted on the couch, suddenly they both came to their senses and had the decency to feel nervous. It wasn’t clear who pushed off of who first, but either way they ended up on opposite ends of the same couch with their hands in their laps, trying to settle down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s heart pounded in his chest and up into his throat as he struggled to regulate his breathing. Only moments ago he had his </span>
  <em>
    <span>neighbor</span>
  </em>
  <span> up against the cold metal of an industrial washing machine that flung his own underwear around in a constant disorienting loop, mimicking the way his head felt as his tongue slipped between two unfamiliar lips that tasted too familiar to belong to anyone else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He squeezed his fists, digging his nails into his palm as he remembered the way the strands of his hair felt tangled in his fingers as he pulled him closer on a small but perfect couch and the slight but breathy whimper that hung in his own mouth as a pair of cold hands went to the skin of his lower back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik, just as restless, jumped up off the couch and brushed himself off. “We should go ahead and order.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” he jumped up too, keeping a distance, not sure if he was allowed to touch him yet. Truth be told, it would have been perfectly understandable if either of them had gotten swept away in the moment, but now that the adrenaline had died down, he couldn’t be too careful. After all, there was a wound there that he himself had made, and pretending like it hadn’t happened would have been too disrespectful to Seungsik. Instead he chose to make himself useful. “I’ll be right back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he said with a slight stutter. “I’ll be here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo thought that he must have been feeling insecure because of what all had taken place in what felt like less than an hour so on his way out, he kissed him on one of his sinking cheeks, and hurried off before Seungsik could say anything about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That wasn’t disrespectful, right? That was the right thing to do. I think.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He ducked his head as he slipped out, hiding the warmth of his own face as he left. He was only gone for a moment, in and out to grab what was left of the beer they bought the other day, before he returned to find Seungsik standing in the same spot he had left him in a daze, his fingers pressing against the same spot where Seungwoo’s lips had been.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He jumped when he heard the glass bottles clank together as Seungwoo set them down on the counter, not realizing he had been back already. Seungwoo couldn’t help but smile seeing how unsettled he was, but he hoped it was a good thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay,” he said quietly after approaching him carefully. He knew he needed to keep a little more than an arm’s length between them, but the next thing he knew, he had Seungsik’s face cupped in his hands gently enough that if he wanted to look away, they would have fallen back down to his sides on their own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what to think about it,” he admitted. He reached up and grabbed Seungwoo’s arms just below the elbows like he was going to push him away, but he seemed to squeeze them together, forcing Seungwoo’s palms to squish his cheeks rather cutely. He forced back a smile and stepped forward, letting his arms slide over Seungsik’s shoulders and around his neck into a hug that probably looked uncomfortable from the outside from their similar heights.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo let out a long sigh as he rested his head. “If you need more time, you can tell me. I promise I won’t put up a fight or make a fuss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you mean that,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do,” he said. “I mean, I’ll always do whatever you want from now on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a big promise,” Seungsik said to himself, making Seungwoo feel uneasy.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, I’ve pushed too much. I’ve said too much. Normal people don’t say these things, so why should I?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He took that as his sign and pulled away before a strong pair of arms locked themselves behind his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t say to let go,” he grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Seungwoo laughed. “I won’t let go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he said into his shoulder. “Just let me think for a minute, and you stand here in case my legs give out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would your legs give out,” he asked, but as soon as he did, the answer wasn’t needed because he recalled how his own knees buckled any time he thought about kissing him the way that he had. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll stand here as long as you want,” Seungwoo said, becoming as steady as stone. A small hum told him that he had said the right thing so he smiled to himself. “But I might need my phone so I can get you food.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Seungsik said with a laugh as he pulled away. Cold air took his place, planting the seed of regret that he meant to immediately extinguish, but after he ordered their dinner, Seungsik was back on the floor sorting and resorting the laundry like it would help him make sense of his own thoughts. Seungwoo got down on the floor with him to help, and somehow he did feel like his mind was clearer even if it was from just moving around towels like playing cards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them somehow found a way to make laundry interesting. Even after everything was folded and placed neatly into two separate piles, they bickered with each other over how necessary or unnecessary it was to separate clothing at all. Seungwoo was sure his socks were no more smudged than Seungsik’s, who spent his whole day with his feet under his desk, but Seungsik, to prove that he was better at doing laundry, went so far as to find a sheet of copy paper to compare shades against.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, yours is brighter,” Seungwoo conceded. “But you should at least start using fabric softener. All of my socks are so scratchy now! How can you expect to wear your clothes for a long time if they get all stretched out like this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik pouted and threw a balled up pair of socks at him. “You didn’t even bring any! What are you worried about me for!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t bring any because I was too– I didn’t think about it,” he said, stopping himself from bringing up how stupid he had been.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked away and nodded. “Well, if it’s so great, then don’t forget next time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t,” he promised sincerely, and a hint of red rose up the sides of Seungsik’s ears. Feeling a little bit too sentimental, and then feeling embarrassed for feeling a little bit too sentimental, Seungwoo decided to lighten the mood. “I’m glad you didn’t have plans tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thinking about how happy he was to spend time with him doing something so simple as laundry made him wonder how he ever spent his Friday nights alone before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who says I didn’t,” Seungsik laughed. “Maybe I had a date I cancelled.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo scowled until his eyebrows drew together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed brightly and threw another pair of socks at him, hitting him right in the chest where his heart would have been if it hadn’t just been cruelly ripped out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would have been with you if you hadn’t hid from me,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Seungwoo said, unfolding and refolding a shirt, ashamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik crawled over the pile and boldly pressed his lips against his, using one arm to prop himself up and the other to anchor his face. “I know you were trying to do the right thing so I can only tease you, but I promise I’m not mad anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you ever stay mad,” he asked, noting his temperament.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said with a smile, sitting back. He looked away like nothing happened, but the expression on his face said that he was quite pleased with himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Cute.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo thought to himself for a moment, the smile growing slowly on his lips. He almost laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” he said, straightening up. “I just like you is all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An even more pleased smile took over his face all at once as a burst of air hissed through his teeth, his cheeks lifting up like two ripe pomegranates, and Seungwoo thought that he would like to bite them one day. Perhaps not yet though. Maybe when the day came that reaching out for him didn’t feel so much like a question, he could chew on him as much as he wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re staring at me,” Seungsik said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” he said, standing up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What were you thinking,” he asked as he stood up too and walked towards him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo rolled his eyes at himself before pulling Seungsik close to him. He wrapped one arm around his waist and the other around his neck before making a gleeful, annoying sound from his nose and sucking the skin from the side of his face with a loud pop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik shrieked and tried to push him off, but when Seungwoo wouldn’t let go, holding him tighter in a mischievous fit of giggles, he ducked down and wiped the slick of slobber from his face onto Seungwoo’s shirt. Seungwoo cried out in protest, but he knew he deserved it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo laughed brightly, chomping towards his cheek again. “You wanted to know what I was thinking!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could have just told me,” he whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a man of action,” he said, his teeth dangerously close to finding more of Seungsik to chew. Fully expecting Seungsik to pull away and escape before he could bite him, he braced himself, planting his feet on the floor, but what he did not expect was for Seungsik to shove his body into him and push the two of them back. Seungwoo almost tripped over his own feet as he stumbled backwards, but the person who shoved him also had a firm grip around him so he couldn’t break loose and tumble to the ground. “Wha-?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could ask him what he was doing, the back of his legs hit the seat of the sofa at his knees and he was forced to plop down. He bounced and worried immediately that the weight of him would break it, and he was about to curl up into a polite ball of something that wouldn’t break things and stop playing around when he was clumsily pushed down onto his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Out of instinct, he reached up and grabbed the first thing he could get his hands on which happened to be Seungsik who was safely hovering over him, or so Seungsik thought. Seungwoo dragged him by his shirt until he crashed onto him with a loud </span>
  <em>
    <span>oof, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and went for his cheek again, using his legs to keep him from wiggling away. He cried out with glee as he chomped towards them, letting his teeth gnash together loudly as a playful warning, but he was stopped by having his arms pinned down, one at his side and one above his head. Seungsik’s weight dug into his wrists as he held himself up, but, snared, Seungwoo didn’t seem to mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Men of action have to be taken by surprise,” he said, pleased with himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You defend your cheeks so well,” Seungwoo said, tired. He plopped his head back and sighed. “I concede.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said, pushing himself up despite his pinned arms, but his mouth was caught by a pair of eager lips that successfully guarded their neighboring cheeks. He inhaled sharply, forgetting that he had wanted to chew on him. The hold on his wrists loosened, and he was able to prop himself up on one of his elbows and reach up to cup his jaw with the other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about now,” he whispered, his breaths unsteady.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unfair,” Seungwoo whined and fell back before letting out a defeated sigh, just as ingenuine. “You win. No more biting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Food will be here any minute,” he said. “Please chew on that and not me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo laughed and looked up at him. He still hovered over his body even though he no longer had to hold him in place, but he looked like he was busy searching for something. Seungwoo waited patiently while he looked intently at his face for Seungsik to come back to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shifted to steady himself. He then took a free hand and lifted it to Seungwoo’s earlobe before sliding his fingertips down to the side of his neck, making Seungwoo shiver at the touch. He then prodded at his cheeks and slid the side of his finger down the bridge of his nose before he noticed Seungwoo staring back at him with soft eyes and realized what he was doing was strange. Before he could pull away, Seungwoo grabbed his hand and pulled it to his lips where he kissed the same fingers that had made a map across his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t pull away from me,” he said, his voice so quiet that it cracked in his own throat. “What are you thinking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a lot of questions I guess,” Seungsik said, sitting up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like what,” Seungwoo asked, sitting up as well. He moved so that they were shoulder to shoulder before taking his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik rested his head on him and sighed. “Why is the pretty man so strange?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo snorted. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One minute you look like you were carved from marble, and the next you’re screaming and biting me,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do the two have to be mutually exclusive,” he asked, but a part of him felt ashamed. He had been too comfortable and therefore had shown too much of his true self which was something not even his coworkers ever saw. The only people other than his immediate family who actually had experienced how annoying he could be were Chan and Byungchan who each were their own special brand of deranged without a bit of his influence. In fact, Chan made him seem almost normal in comparison most days, but Seungsik actually was normal. Seungsik didn’t screech for no reason, and he probably didn’t go around biting people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo yelped. Although he didn’t bite him, he did shove his fingers into his sides, taking him by surprise. With a sharp squeeze, Seungwoo hopped away from him, not wanting to be tickled so helplessly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is my cheek red,” Seungsik asked instead of answering, turning towards him. Seungwoo frowned and scooted back over to see.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little bit,” he said. He gave him a soft apologetic kiss on the spot where he had accidentally left a mark from playing too much. “Is that better?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed and shook his head, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You might have to try again,” he said, shameless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Seungwoo laughed, the corners of his mouth peeling back enough to show his teeth as he smiled. He left another kiss in the same spot and then another and one more just in case. “What about now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Almost,” he said, his voice shaking slightly as he turned towards him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s nose grazed over his kiss covered cheek as the two of them turned little by little towards each other with equal intent, their breaths too heavy to go unnoticed. He found the corner of his mouth and pressed. “What about now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Almost,” Seungsik said again, this time much more nervously than the first. Seungwoo almost thought he should pull away to spare him, but he was too close to stop himself. He was too close to complete a thought that would have allowed him to turn away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With no real desire to stop, he kissed him slowly, his head tilting back as he pulled away. His own breathing became unsteady as the still new shock pulsed through him. It tightened his chest, and all he could do was ball the fabric of his own shirt in his fist to keep from pushing any further. Or having an overwhelmed outburst.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about n-,” he tried to ask, but was interrupted by Seungsik closing the gap again, just as affected as he was. It seemed like everytime Seungwoo pulled away for whatever reason, even if it was for Seungsik’s sake, the other would be pulled towards him like a magnet, taking full control. It was nice to see someone who was so used to giving, taking what he wanted. Seungwoo would never say no to anything he wanted even if he had to run around the world to make it happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But right then, Seungsik wanted him. He let out a groan at being kissed so roughly and opened his mouth more to invite him in. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You don’t have to be shy with me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His mind told him they needed to cool off before they did too much, but his hands wandered to the tail of Seungsik’s shirt on their own, wanting to feel the skin that hid just beneath it. He thought, would it be so bad if he pulled it off for him? What if they both peeled away at each other instead of being shy? What would that feel like?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if on cue, Seungsik’s hands traveled up to his neck like they were encouraging him to take it off by getting out of Seungwoo’s way, and he lifted up the back carefully, testing the waters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s food coming,” Seungsik reminded him before taking his bottom lip between his teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have time,” he said quietly, bargaining.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not that much time,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess I got carried away,” Seungwoo said, pulling what he had lifted up back down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” he said as he sat back, pressing the back of his hand to his mouth. His cheeks were flushed, his lips were swollen, and there was a distant haze to his eyes like he wasn’t quite present yet. Seungwoo supposed he looked just as out of it himself, but seeing it on Seungsik’s face did more to shake his heart than anything else ever had in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” he said, biting his own lip as he watched him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you sorry for,” he brushed himself off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stopping,” Seungwoo said. Seungsik blinked at him, flustered, but before he could respond, a knock came to the door, and Seungwoo jumped up. “I got it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smoothed himself before going to the door and getting their food. When he came back, Seungsik had cleared off the same coffee table they had eaten on when he first came over almost a week before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They set a couple of beers down on folded up paper towels as makeshift coasters and focused on their meals without mentioning the heart stopping elephant in the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You need a kitchen table,” Seungwoo pointed out as he put a piece of food in his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is fine,” he said, his brows drawing together. “You don’t have one either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have bar stools,” he pointed off. “It’s an interior design choice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Until someone falls off,” Seungsik said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm,” he said before swallowing. “My friend Chan already has. He said it didn’t hurt that much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik snorted. “I don’t know why I’m not surprised.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh right you met him already,” he said. “I don’t know why he ran over here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He demanded I let you go,” he laughed. “I thought he meant it like he was in love with you or something, but no he thought I had you tied up somewhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo paled. “I’m so sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, really it’s fine,” he said. “I’m glad to see you have people who care about you that much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked down, feeling shy. “I hope Hanse is as good of a friend to you as Chan is to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of,” Seungsik said before taking a glug of beer like he needed the extra courage. “You thought we were dating…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he coughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you’re wearing the couple bracelet I bought you,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked down at his own wrist and cringed. “Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The bracelet I said I didn’t have anyone else to give to when he bought it,” he added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo covered his face and groaned. “I’m so fucking stupid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned forward, propping himself up on the table and looked at Seungwoo fondly. “I won’t say anything else, but I just wanted to remind you of that just in case you forgot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sighed into his hands before dropping them and giving his wrist a jingle. “I wasn’t going to take this off unless you told me to no matter who you had to give it to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if that got us in trouble,” he pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You would have had to ask me to,” he laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want me to take it off?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, what’s your opinion on it now,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t take it off unless you tell me to,” he said simply, returning to his food.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he said to himself. “I won’t either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s yours so you wouldn’t have to,” Seungwoo pointed out. “You were bullied into buying it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed awkwardly. “Right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. “Nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Seungwoo asked, almost glaring at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I knew what I was buying,” he said, looking down at his empty plate. When Seungwoo looked at him blankly, he huffed in frustration. “I mean, I bought them on purpose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said quietly. “How did you decide that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know how you broke into my apartment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo cringed again. “Yeah…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t scared. I mean, I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>startled </span>
  </em>
  <span>because some guy was in my kitchen, but even before I saw your face I thought </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh he’s supposed to be here </span>
  </em>
  <span>and then I immediately thought </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh he’s NOT supposed to be here, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and I think I watched you dig around for a whole minute before it clicked that I should have said something, and then for some reason I didn’t want you to leave. And then the next day, I wasn’t even planning on going to your place. Like, I don’t know why I turned right instead of left, and I don’t know why I still thought to knock even though I was sure I had walked up to my own apartment, and the whole thing is kind of unclear at this point, but I think I bought it hoping it would be some sort of good luck charm. Like if you wore it, you’d also come here too much by accident as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rambled on a bit, staring off into space like he was processing his thoughts more for his own benefit rather than saying anything Seungwoo needed to hear (even though he liked what he said). Once he stopped and took a breath, Seungwoo stood up and moved around to his side of the table and put his head on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like you,” Seungwoo said. “I like when we’re in the same space.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you ever turn right, just go inside,” he said, wrapping his arm around his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if you’re not there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Call me, and I’ll come home right away,” he teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed. “Alright, you have to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will,” he said cutely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if you ever go that long without buying groceries again, I’ll fight you,” Seungsik scolded. “I’m going to check every week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed dramatically. “What if I don’t have time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then turn left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said with a smile. “Alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat quietly together for a moment before getting up to clear their food trash away. When Seungwoo carried the pile into the kitchen, he noticed something he had missed when he had come over for ice cream the other day— a green onion in a glass vase filled with water as if it was a lily and not a vegetable he had bought at a street market.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik walked in not long after to put their bottles in the glass recycling bag. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s this,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, nothing,” he said, turning around to leave in a hurry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come back here,” he play shouted before throwing his arms around him. “You kept it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I did,” he said. “What else was I supposed to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eat it,” Seungwoo suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik froze, his arms glued to his sides. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Should I eat it,” he asked, quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed. “But next time we go, let’s stop by the flower vendor. Those probably smell better than onions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik turned around and returned his hug warmly. “Don’t mind me, I feel like taking advantage of this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he said in his shoulder, rubbing his back idly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s your favorite flower,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hummed. “I don’t think I have one, but my mom used to get jasmine a lot, and I think it smells nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jasmine it is,” Seungsik said with a nod before taking a step back. “Are we still watching a movie or is that off the table?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I almost forgot we were going to do that,” he laughed. “What do you want to watch?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pick whatever you want,” he said, walking across the room. “I’m going to turn the light off though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Seungwoo said, suddenly nervous to be left alone in the dark which was strange because his apartment was always dimly lit, but he was already used to how bright Seungsik’s home usually was. He sat down on the couch with his hands in his laps, fidgeting, and watched Seungsik’s shadow move towards him lit from the glow of the tv. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat next to him, and that’s when Seungwoo noticed how much he smelled like laundry, taking his mind back to where they had been, and he thought, to his own private embarrassment, that he wanted to only do laundry with him forever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You smell nice,” he said suddenly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo shook himself. “Nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He saw Seungsik’s figure grab the front of his shirt and bring it up to his nose to see for himself. “I smell like fried food.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You smell like laundry,” he said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You smell like home. My home.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yeah,” Seungsik said. “So do you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I?” He asked, taking his turn to sniff himself. He hummed, displeased. “Yours is better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s the same,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you smell like you,” Seungwoo said. “And laundry. I like you better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now you’re just being cheesy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I,” he laughed. “What if I tell you you’re my favorite kind of laundry smell?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not washing your clothes for you,” he giggled. “Again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was worth a shot,” Seungwoo said before leaving a quick peck on his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice try,” he said, catching his mouth before he pulled away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo smiled to himself, and the two of them finally settled on a movie they both wanted to see. By the end of the night, Seungwoo’s emotional exhaustion from the last couple of days of thinking he had lost his, dare he say, soulmate, had finally caught up with him, and he ended up with his head in Seungsik’s lap to rest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If anyone ever asked him what the movie was about, he would have never been able to guess a summary, but he was able to memorize the way Seungsik’s fingers felt when they carefully scratched his scalp for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes were closed, but he wasn’t asleep. Instead, he spent the two hours with him that he was supposed to be watchung the movie focusing on the way his body shifted subtly as he breathed. He was so warm that even though he had a blanket pulled over him, he didn’t really need it, and he supposed if they ever lived together one day, he wouldn’t mind living in such a frigid space if it meant that he could use Seungsik for warmth whenever he wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he was so warm on the inside and the out. He was somehow an excited puppy running around in circles wagging his tail, but at the same time he was a wise old bear who one could come to for advice or blessings. He was someone Seungwoo wanted to protect, but he was also someone who he wanted to pull Seungwoo into his lap and let him rest whenever he was tired.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The movie finally ended, and they were suspended in silence, neither saying anything. He thought he should have sat up already, but he wanted to lay there a little bit longer, and Seungsik didn’t seem to mind. Or if he did, he was too polite to make him move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened his eyes slightly to see the city outside the window, but the feeling of having his hair stroked almost lulled him to sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rolled over and pressed his face against Seungsik’s stomach, sliding his arm behind his lower back to hold him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you awake,” Seungsik asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm,” he said, neither a yes or a no. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik brushed down his hair for him that had ruffled when he moved and let out a breath, humming back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you thinking,” Seungwoo asked, his voice muffled, after he noticed the change in his mood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m thinking I like this too much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned on his back to look up at him with a confused frown. The hand that had been scratching his head went to the soft skin under his chin. Seungwoo’s eyes became heavy at once, and he had to pinch himself to keep from closing them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached up and cupped his cheek, cradling him in the palm of his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your hands are so big,” he laughed, covering his hand with his own. “You could cover my whole face.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo, feeling mischievous again, moved his hand over his face to see if it was true.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop it,” Seungsik laughed, pushing him away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo pushed himself up and decided to be serious for a moment. “I think it’s fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To like something too much,” he said. “As long as you’re happy, it’s fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at him, still silhouetted in darkness. “What if I like you too much?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I will do everything I can to make sure you’re happy so it won’t be a problem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik made a sound like an old man and swatted at him. “You can’t say stuff like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not,” Seungwoo giggled. “Do you hate it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes I hate it,” he laughed, lying through his teeth. “Never say anything like it again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, my lips are sealed,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, no,” Seungsik laughed. “I was kidding.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo made a sound like his lips were permanently stuck together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Open them,” he cried out. “Speak!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmmmmmrrrr mrrrrrr mmmmmrrrrr!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” he said. “So annoying!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmmmmm mrrrrr mmmmmmm!” Seungwoo mumbled, tapping his finger against his own mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really,” he asked in disbelief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he nodded with exaggerated movements, a pleased smile on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” said again, feigning annoyance, and kissed him to </span>
  <em>
    <span>unseal </span>
  </em>
  <span>him. Seungwoo smiled against his mouth and kissed him back before he pulled away. “So what were you trying to say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said,” he started, shuffling from his own nerves. “I like you.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy this little bonus chapter I squeezed into the middle of the fic to make up for the slow update. 2seung married 2seung husbands</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Waffles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo and Seungsik decide to have breakfast.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It took everything Seungwoo had to peel himself away. In a dark room, they sat together and talked until the early hours of the morning like they were catching up on everything they had missed from a lifetime without each other. He wondered (accidentally) out loud what it would have been like to grow up with Seungsik, but at least he was able to keep the </span>
  <em>
    <span>I wonder what it would be like to grow old with Seungsik </span>
  </em>
  <span>thought to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They talked until their voices were hoarse and their answers went from thoughtful words to sweet yawns and tired hums. It was time to go to bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Seungwoo was the kind of person to be terribly self indulgent, he would have weaseled his way into Seungsik’s bed. He would have thrown himself down with his arm draped carelessly across his forehead as he exclaimed that he was too tired to go home (even when it was just across the hall). But Seungwoo was, first and foremost, a gentleman so he gave him a tight lipped kiss on the cheek goodbye and went home to his own bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He barely got his pants off before collapsing onto the mattress with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. He reached over to his closest pillow and hugged it to his chest, wiggling around in glee because he was no longer in control of his actions. Certainly he had been possessed by someone who had been shot in the heart with cupid’s arrow. The person he was couldn’t have been himself because the person he was had never felt so deeply for another person in his life at least that he could recall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But could he think of anyone more deserving?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He squeezed his pillow tighter to his chest and thought that he most definitely could not. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it was too good to be true, wasn’t it? There was no way this wasn’t one-sided because how could anyone like him as much as he liked Seungsik. There was no way. It was impossible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt a vibrate next to him that caught his attention. He checked his phone expecting to find a message from Chan wondering where he’d been, but instead, he was greeted with a single word that made him want to roll off of his bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>goodnight ❤️❤️</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled to himself, scrunching his nose. Maybe he wasn’t on his own after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>goodnight ❤️ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He set his phone back down and sighed. They were separated by a couple of doors, but still it felt like he was right there next to him. It was a good feeling. After a few moments, a second message came through that made his heart jump.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>promise me if you try overthinking again you’ll come here</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though he felt horribly called out, it was comforting enough that he was only a little bit shocked. A part of him wished that it was an invitation, however, he was sure that it wasn’t so it wasn’t like even if he did overthink things again, he could actually go over there and intrude on his space especially while he was sleeping.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i promise ❤️ thank you </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>see you tomorrow? 👀 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>lol what else did you think you were going to do</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>i was trying not to get my hopes up lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo:</b>
  <span> what do you wanna do tomorrow?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>hmmmm i’m not sure</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>sleep on it?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>haha good idea </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>goodnight?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>goodnight c:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>bro</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>HEY</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>shhhh i’m sleeping</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>do you want me to come over there????</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>goodniiiight :3</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo dropped his head on his pillow and huffed, folding his arms across his chest. When he called him </span>
  <em>
    <span>that word</span>
  </em>
  <span> it had been an accident, and somehow, Seungsik had repeatedly used it as a weapon to jab him with. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah yeah yeah I fucked up. I got carried away. You’re one to talk, couple bracelets.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>A smile crept over his face once he realized he had the power to turn their situation back around. It was a huge risk, but he was just tired enough to give it a shot.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>goodnight baby</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shrieked into his pillow from a surge of nerves, and not long after, another shriek echoed his from where he assumed to be somewhere outside probably from one of his neighbors coming home after a long night of partying. It was a Friday night after all, and the city was alive, but there he was, hugging his pillow and wiggling around because he was absolutely going through it over the boy next door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next morning Seungwoo woke up in a haze. The sun was barely up, but he felt like he had slept for three days, and then he started to panic because what if he had? It wasn’t like his week off was going to last forever so he grabbed his phone and checked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was only Saturday, but there was no new message from Seungsik yet so he was probably still asleep. Or he was freaked out, but Seungwoo had to keep </span>
  <em>
    <span>himself </span>
  </em>
  <span>from freaking out by assuring himself it was because he had had a long week and finally got to sleep in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hoped he slept all morning even if he had to wait until the afternoon to see him if it meant that he would finally get enough rest. The last few days had probably been just as draining for him as it had been for Seungwoo judging by how frustrated he has been with him in the laundry room. He didn’t spare any thoughts, and he hadn’t been shy about saying them. Seungwoo wasn’t sure he would have been able to be brave enough to call someone out the way Seungsik had, but Seungsik had always been open with how he felt, hadn’t he? He was the one who had reached out first. He was the one who came over any chance he got. He was the one sending the messages. He was the brave one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Seungwoo couldn’t hide from him again. After all, he had made a promise to do anything he could to make sure he was always happy, and he had been the one to break it without any real consideration for the other person’s opinion. From now on, he wouldn’t make decisions regarding the both of them without consulting Seungsik first, but luckily there were no other decisions that had to be made other than </span>
  <em>
    <span>what are we going to do today</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Except Seungsik was still asleep so all Seungwoo could do was close his eyes and wait while he came up with ideas. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe two hours later when it was finally midmorning, a message came through following the goodnight message Seungwoo had sent that made him jump out of his own skin. (His message, not Seungsik’s).</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>good morning c:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sat up with a stretch and cracked his neck. So their day had started like this, he thought. There was only one other way he would have preferred it, but that would come eventually when it was time. He smiled until he bit his lip to force himself to not get carried away with excitement, the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He hoped that day would come sooner than later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Assuming he had waited long enough to not look like he had been sitting around in anticipation all morning, he finally answered the message.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>good morning ^^ how did you sleep</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>too good 😭 i’m dead</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>me too TT </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>maybe we shouldn’t stay up so late next time lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>i didn’t say that &gt;:s</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>hehehe i’m just kidding</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>e.e</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>now that you’re up, what are you going to do today c: c: c:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>is that supposed to he subtle 😭 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>no c:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>cute..</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>you think so?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>shameless*</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>:V </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>do you deny it lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>no C: but as your boyfriend i’m very interested in your plans </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few moments after Seungwoo sent the message, he heard another faint shout in the distance. He furrowed his brow and looked out his bedroom window down to the street but didn’t see anyone outside. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Strange.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>idk i’m kind of hungry…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>breakfast? 👀 we haven’t done that before</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>only if you’re not busy…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>brb throwing my calendar out the window</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>LOL STOP</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i would never be busy who am i lol what do you want to eat</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>uhhhhhh</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>so i was thinking waffles</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>waffles?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>i may have….</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>snuck…..</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>a box of waffle mix…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>into your shopping cart…………</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>:O YOU WHAT</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>I’M SORRY IT JUST HAPPENED</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>what else did you sneak in there 😭 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>i am afraid to say i do not recall </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>oh my god</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blinked. Between Chan and Seungsik, he was going to lose his mind, but if one was the best best friend of all time, certainly that meant that the other was going to be the best boyfriend of all time, didn’t it?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>sorry :c</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>NOOOO DON’T :C ME YOU CAN HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT I AM JUST A LITTLE SURPRISED!!!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>theres just one problem tho,,</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>what? 👀 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i uhhh dont own a waffle iron</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>uh oh</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>do you lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>,,, no</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>uh oh</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>i guess no waffles then</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>what if we made like really dense pancakes</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>that could work 🤔 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>you wanna make them here? </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>sure c:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>ok give me like 17 minutes and come over when you’re ready</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>sure!!! see you in a bit ❤️ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sat his phone down and immediately sprinted to the bathroom. He washed his face as quickly as he could, shaved off the shadow that formed around his mouth, and brushed his teeth using extra mouthwash and then brushed them again just in case with an extra thorough focus on his tongue, casting out any possibility of morning breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smoothed out his hair that was fluffed up in the back from rolling around like a love goblin and gave his shirt a quick sniff to make sure he smelled okay. He decided to change it to a different, clean t-shirt, but before he pulled it on, he swiped on some deodorant to make sure he smelled extra nice for his guest but opted to leave off the cologne because that wouldn’t have been subtle at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Having a few minutes left before he came over, Seungwoo decided to be mischievous. He turned off his bedroom light and hopped back into bed before covering himself up with a blanket. When the front door opened, he wiggled his feet in delight. He was there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nerves swelled in his stomach as he heard him call out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungwoo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled to himself as he refused to answer, and he heard Seungsik call out to him again, this time closer. He waited until there was a light knock at the door before he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik tiptoed in and called his name softly to get his attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungwoo? Are you awake?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo grumbled and shifted in his blankets, but when Seungsik touched where his shoulder was to check on him, he cried out loudly and grabbed his arm, pulling him down on top of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah!” Seungsik shouted as he fell. Seungwoo giggled wildly as he wrapped his arms and legs around him, trapping him in a cocoon of warmth. “Why!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you,” he said cutely before kissing his cheek and squeezing him tighter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re such a child,” he cried out as he rolled over to the opposite side of the bed, but when Seungwoo expected him to push himself up and leave, he climbed under the blankets and put his head on the spare pillow, quite content.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really,” Seungwoo said, propping himself up on his elbow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your bed is much more comfortable that mine,” he said simply. “Where’d you get it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t tell you,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not,” Seungsik asked with a pout.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because then you wouldn’t need to sleep on mine anymore,” he said, cheekily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik covered his face with the sheet and shook his head, embarrassed, but Seungwoo was merely mirroring the way Seungsik had drawn him in only a week before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re too much,” he said, still hiding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo was about to rebut when a hand clumsily emerged from beneath the blanket and searched blindly for the pillow under his head. He tugged it towards him, and Seungwoo lifted up to let Seungsik pull the pillow he was using next to him with a beckoning pat, taking that as a sign to move closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rested his head back on his pillow, and Seungsik uncovered his face. He was so pretty like that, shy and playful with soft sparkling eyes. His face was a little puffy still, but Seungwoo would never tell him that. He reached out and cupped Seungsik’s cheek, stroking it gently with his thumb.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he said back, covering his hand with his own. “Is this okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo nodded and scooted closer, touching the tips of their noses together. He slid his hand down past his shoulder to the middle of his back so he could hold him close. He closed his eyes with a smile and felt a soft pair of lips touch his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought you were hungry,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am,” he said before kissing him again with a little more pressure. Seungwoo’s eyes fluttered open, and even in the low light of his bedroom he could see the way he looked at him, expectant and unafraid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tilted his head and pulled him in closer for a long kiss that even rivaled what they did the night before. Seungwoo heard him gasp slightly, and his body moved on its own, reacting immediately. The next thing he knew he was on top of him, pushing him down into the mattress with the blanket covering them both.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo dragged his mouth hungrily over his and smiled at the soft wanting sounds he made in response. Two eager hands went up to his jaw, and he felt Seungsik’s knees dig into his sides, pulling his down harder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You taste like toothpaste,” Seungsik said out of breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Weren’t you the one who complained about my ice cream for the same reason,” Seungwoo asked as his mouth traveled down to his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was a hint,” he said, almost frustrated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo froze. He looked up and blinked, his mouth slightly agape. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he repeated, pulling him back up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Next time, do what you want,” Seungwoo said, his voice trembling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure,” he asked, looking up at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded in response and took his bottom lip between his teeth and tugged. “I won’t stop you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik slid his hand through the hair on the back of his head and moved up to meet him. “I won’t stop you either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A whimper escaped his own mouth before he descended on him, not sure where to begin. There was so much of this person he had yet to uncover, but he wasn’t able to tear himself away from the blessed place that was his mouth. But then he supposed that he didn’t have to stop kissing him to do a number of the things that he wanted to do to him and with him, but where to start…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he got the chance to find out, a loud scream erupted from the other side of his room, and he was launched off up of him into the air like a startled cat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My eyes!” Chan cried out as he ran away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo jumped up off the bed and ran after him. “Chan! It’s not what it looks like!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My poor virgin eyes!” He shouted as he ran through the apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Virgin, my ass!” Seungwoo shouted, running after him. “Stop!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He covered his eyes and hid his face. “I can’t believe this!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get away from me! I don’t wanna see that!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, I’m wearing pants,” he said out of breath, grabbing him. “Look!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan peeked for a moment and looked down. Seungwoo was still completely dressed despite the fact that he saw what he </span>
  <em>
    <span>thought</span>
  </em>
  <span> was a scandalous bedroom scene only seconds before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you knock first,” Chan wailed, still hiding his innocent eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>knock first!” Seungwoo cried out. “This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> apartment!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan paused for a moment before dropping his hands. “Oh yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sighed and rubbed his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it safe to come out,” Seungsik said from behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s fine,” Seungwoo waved him over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik waddled shyly over next to him, the blanket wrapped around his shoulders to hide himself even though he was dressed too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see you two worked things out,” Chan said, gesturing at them both awkwardly, unable to make eye contact with either of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo wiped his mouth, embarrassed. “Yeah, we’re good now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” he strained. “How’s it going, Seungsik?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pretty good,” Seungsik said, digging his bare foot into the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great,” Chan said through a forced smile. “God, I’m ready for death.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo coughed and leaned back against the counter separating the living room from the kitchen. “Whatcha doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t heard from you, and I wanted to make sure nothing had happened,” Chan said, his eyes shifting between Seungwoo and Seungsik. “But I see now that nothing </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad</span>
  </em>
  <span> happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Without calling first?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you’ve been so good at answering my messages these last couple of days,” Chan said accusingly. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that first!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Seungwoo slumped over. “I’m so sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s cool,” he said, a little crazed. “I thought you were still heartbroken or whatever, but I see that I have been replaced!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik eyed Seungwoo in horror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sorry, not like that,” Chan assured him. “Sorry, I’m just in shock. Oh god, no, I would never. Please, should I leave and come back in like, what, 45 minutes? Do you need longer than that? An hour? Seungsik, your door code is the same as Snoo’s right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Seungsik said awkwardly, not sure what to think about any of this</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cool, I’ll just hang out there until you’re done,” Chan said. “Sorry!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo grabbed him as he spun on his heel to leave. “We’re not… it’s fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Seungsik shouted, realizing what Chan was freaking out about. “No! Absolutely not! You hungry? You look hungry!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I could eat,” Chan said with a pout. Seungwoo huffed, but he couldn’t help but smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were just about to have breakfast,” Seungsik said, being helpful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That didn’t look like breakfast to me,” he grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Once again, I would like to point out that I am wearing pants,” Seungwoo said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too!” Seungsik said, opening the blanket up to reveal how much clothes he was wearing underneath it. Seungwoo struggled to hide the fond smile on his face the same way Chan continued to hide the look of distress on </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Chan relaxed, he brushed himself off and hung his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo waited for him to say something, but after he didn’t, Seungwoo decided to try himself. “Chan…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he shuffled. “Do you want to have breakfast with us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” he mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Chan…,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungwoo said, craning his neck to look at him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Are you mad at me?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he pouted like a child. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you traumatized,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little bit,” he admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would pancakes help,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan shuffled some more. “Maybe…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo put his hand on his shoulder and sighed. “I’m sorry I haven’t been good at answering my phone this week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” he said, straightening up. “I just worried about you, dude.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I’m sorry,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So when did you two make up,” Chan asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it was super late last night,” Seungsik chimed in. “Like really late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan eyed them both with a smirk. “Wow, when you two make up, you make up fast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungwoo laughed. Chan tapped his own mouth twice and wiggled his eyebrows. Seungwoo tilted his head confused, but when he looked at Seungsik to see if he had any idea what he was talking about, he noticed how red and swollen the lower half of his face was. “Get out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smacked Chan in the arm and shoved him towards the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Out! Out! Out!” Seungwoo shouted as he slapped his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan dug his heels into the floor and spun around, skipping back towards the middle of the room. He whirled behind Seungsik and crouched for safety. “But Seungsik invited me for breakfast! You wouldn’t kick out one of his guests!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get out!” He roared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed brightly and held his arms out to protect Seungwoo’s best friend from him. “That’s right, I invited him to stay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s shoulders dropped, defeated. If Seungsik wasn’t horrified, then he couldn’t be either, but then again, he had no idea that Chan was making fun of them for making out too hard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan stepped out, sure he was safe and folded his arms over his chest. “Scarred and beaten…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Knock first next time,” Seungwoo grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did knock,” he said, scowling. “Answer next time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he coughed. “So… pancakes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pancakes!” Seungsik said, wide eyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that they were finally settling down, Seungwoo had a thought. “Hey, do you have a waffle iron?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, why,” Chan asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We actually have waffle mix and not pancake mix,” he explained. “But no waffle maker.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to get mine,” he offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you mind,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not too far, is it,” Seungsik asked, concerned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, I only live a couple blocks away,” Chan said, waving his hand. “Plus it’s really nice outside, not that you two would have noticed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo squinted at him, glowering. Chan smiled brightly until his eyes shut tight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just kidding! Be back in a few!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Seungwoo could grab him and choke him, he was out the door on his way to his own apartment. Seungwoo let out an exhausted sigh and hung himself over one of the barstools like he was going to pass out. Seungsik rubbed his back, and he relaxed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” Seungsik laughed. “That could have been a lot worse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo stood up. “That almost was a lot worse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” he said, his cheeks red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sorry, I thought you wanted to–,” Seungwoo started, horribly embarrassed for being so presumptuous. “I wouldn’t have–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re right,” he said, stepping forward. He grabbed his hand shyly and swung it as he avoided his gaze. “It almost was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something greedy stirred in his chest, and he took his own step closer, backing him up against the bar counter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is familiar,” Seungwoo said, his voice low.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed faintly and reached out for his waist. “How much time do we have?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not enough,” Seungwoo said as he dropped down to leave a kiss on his neck. He sighed and tilted his head back, angling it so that he could roam freely to his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Better if we don’t waste time,” he said, trembling slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure,” Seungwoo asked, raking his teeth lightly against the little bit of exposed skin, making him shudder. He smiled to himself at the good response and slid his arm around his lower back to pull his waist to his. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed pleasantly and shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where,” he whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had a few options. They could stay where they were with him propped against the counter at Seungwoo’s disposal. They could move to the inferior couch that wouldn’t have been much more comfortable than standing. Or they could have hurried back to the bedroom at risk of not hearing the door again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without answering, he grabbed his chin and pulled him up hungrily like he couldn’t get enough. Or like he didn’t want to waste any more time.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Here.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hurry.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Like he heard him in his mind, Seungwoo grabbed him roughly and pressed his body against him, memorizing his shape with his hands and how he moved against him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure,” he asked again, but he kissed him before Seungsik could answer, only receiving an encouraging groan instead. Seungsik tugged at the bottom of his shirt, pulling it up, Seungwoo lifted his arms up over his head to help, but before he got it off of him, a strange noise caught their attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ignore it,” he said, his voice coarse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if he came back,” Seungsik asked, worried about a repeat episode. “Just check it and see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo stepped back and nodded, dazed. They would have only lost a few seconds by him taking a look at his phone so it wasn’t too much to stop. He grabbed his phone off the counter and frowned. “It’s not mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh,” he said, frowning too. He reached for his and twisted his mouth. “Uh oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it,” Seungwoo asked, worried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hanse is at my place wondering where I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Invite him over,” he said. “Does he like waffles too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He probably does,” Seungsik said. “Are you sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, totally,” Seungwoo said, waving him off. “Unless you wanna go hangout with him today alone, I’ll understand of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! It’s just it’s your apartment,” he said. “This is your space.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My space is wherever you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik covered his reddening face and hissed through his teeth, overwhelmed. “Oh my god.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanted to date me,” he pointed out. “This is what you signed up for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You make my teeth hurt,” he cried out as he walked towards the door to get his friend. Seungwoo laughed, pleased, and smoothed himself down before Hanse saw anything he wasn’t supposed to. Seungsik opened the door and greeted him. “Hey!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Hanse said nervously as he stepped in before he got a good look at their faces, but once he did, he started laughing so hard, he had tears in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungsik asked, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You two,” he cackled. “Do you want me to come back later?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse put his arm around his shoulder and sighed. “I’m happy for you, really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Seungwoo’s turn to be confused, but he didn’t say anything about it. “You like waffles?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like waffles,” he said before smoothing down his friend's hair that was a ruffled mess from what they absolutely were not up to. Seungsik stepped back and laughed, embarrassed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s cheeks burned, but he pretended like he didn’t notice. “My friend has gone to go get his waffle iron. He should be back in like ten minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh cool,” Hanse said. He stepped into the apartment space awkwardly even though it was practically identical to the space he was familiar with, but Seungwoo supposed he was the reason he was so uncomfortable. “You like coffee?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I like coffee,” Seungwoo said, not sure why he was asking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse turned to Seungsik and smiled mischievously. “Maybe I could give you two a few more minutes and run and grab everybody something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to,” Seungsik insisted, but Seungwoo could tell he wanted to fight him the way Seungwoo had wanted to fight Chan. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like to show up places empty handed,” he said, moving towards the door. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>My </span>
  </em>
  <span>parents raised me right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik gasped and lunged for him. “Hey!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He dodged him quickly with a shrill laugh. “Four, right? I’ll be back in a few.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse turned quickly and left before Seungsik could grab him. He almost collapsed to the ground in agony once they were alone again. “I’m going to kill him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was that about,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He,” Seungsik started before wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. “Is going to be insufferable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why’s that,” he sauntered over, throwing his arms around him for a hug with no secret intentions behind it. He tilted him back and forth like they were slow dancing, and Seungsik swayed obediently with him, letting himself be moved at his will.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s been trying to get me to…. for a while,” he said shyly like it was something to be ashamed of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I for one will not stop you as long as I’m involved,” Seungwoo teased, leaving a soft kiss on the cheek. “But I guess not today, huh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not today,” he agreed, but he hugged him tightly like he didn’t mind, and truthfully Seungwoo didn’t mind either. Sure, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>frustrated</span>
  </em>
  <span> and about to jump out of his own skin, but there was no need to rush.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sikie,” he said quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it,” he asked, resting his head comfortably on his shoulder as they swayed along to nothing in the middle of Seungwoo’s apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really like you,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed happily and squeezed him. “I like you too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo stroked the back of his head, smiling to himself. “Next time we won’t run out of time. Or get caught.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure,” Seungsik laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he said. “Because next time I’m shoving a chair under the door handle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He giggled and stepped back. “Maybe I should make an appointment for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t, I threw my calendar out, remember,” Seungwoo smiled cheerfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We will have to get you a new one,” he nodded sagely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then you’ll be the only thing on it,” he wiggled his eyebrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik shoved him lightly and walked off to plop down on the couch. “So cheesy!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo giggled and joined him. “I can’t help it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t doubt that,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you’ll get used to it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if I want to,” he said, smiling to himself. Seungwoo tilted his head back and exhaled deeply, a soft smile on his own face. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just happy, I guess,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik scooted closer to him and placed his head on his shoulder, taking his hand in his. “Me too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned and kissed his head before settling back comfortably. Although they were </span>
  <em>
    <span>supposed </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be having breakfast, they went from </span>
  <em>
    <span>delaying </span>
  </em>
  <span>breakfast by getting carried away in Seungwoo’s room to waiting for their two extra guests to come back so they could actually make breakfast, but Seungwoo couldn’t complain. They were both their best friends, and they had both taken off without question to simultaneously give the two of them enough alone time to calm down enough to have guests and to go get things to make breakfast more enjoyable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So what if there had been some teasing (and a little horrified screaming)? Chan and Hanse were happy for them, and possibly even supportive? But perhaps he was just being hopeful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Either way, he would have to wait to find out until the two of them got back if not only that was true, but also if the two of them could possibly manage to stand to be in the same room together. After all, if he and Chan were a package deal, he figured Seungsik and Hanse would be too, and if their best friends didn’t get along, what kind of position would that put him and Seungsik in?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rested his head on his boyfriend’s and squeezed his hand. He supposed he would find out soon enough.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A friendly reminder that even if it gets a bit spicy, to preserve the rating, there won’t be any smut. I hope everyone is fine with that :(</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Normalcy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo’s sudden guests return.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungwoo could have fallen asleep on Seungsik’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn’t say much after they sat down on the couch together, both still half asleep if they were honest. Hanse’s coffee would come as a blessing to replace the shock of being screamed at by Chan in the middle of just a few simple kisses that weren’t even that scandalous. Alright, he thought. He might have been pushing it, but still, it had been an unnecessary surge of adrenaline too early in the morning, and now the warmth of Seungsik’s shoulder was like a blanket right out of the dryer that he wanted to wrap around himself and fall back asleep under. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked down at their hands, peacefully intertwined, and he smiled at how well they fit together despite his own unnaturally long fingers that usually curved uncomfortably around whoever he tried to hold onto until he eventually gave up and hooked his index finger through their clenched fist. Seungwoo suddenly felt him sigh next to him, and he turned to nuzzle into his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” he said, forcing a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo groaned and shook his head. “Tell me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed again and shifted, forcing Seungwoo to turn towards him and crane his neck to get a good look at him. Seungsik was still being stubborn, but he gave him enough time to gather his thoughts before asking again because if something was bothering him, he wanted to help if he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a little embarrassed,” he admitted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why,” Seungwoo frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The first impression of me your friend had was that I had kidnapped you and the second was me </span>
  <em>
    <span>you know </span>
  </em>
  <span>you…” he said, waving his hands for emphasis because he couldn’t come out and say it, but Seungwoo was sure he didn’t need to hear it anyway if he wanted to keep his head cool for the rest of the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The second one was probably the other way around,” Seungwoo pointed out. “But he’s just crazy. I promise it’s not like that at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He frowned and shook his head. “It’s still not a good start.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look,” Seungwoo said as he fished out his phone. He held up his text thread with Chan and scrolled through it for him, risking the shame of being exposed for liking him as much as he did, but it was worth it if Seungsik saw that there was nothing to worry about. “He’s been team Seungsik for days. I’m the one who was holding off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You bribed him with a cake,” he asked, surprised, ignoring the fact that Seungwoo was once again, the person with his back against the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does this seem like someone capable of judging another person,” Seungwoo asked as an answer. He leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Not that there’s anything to judge anyone for, but I promise he doesn’t really care. He was just startled and wanted the whole world to be startled too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik sighed again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hanse almost caught us,” Seungwoo said, recalling their moment in Seungsik’s apartment. “Would he have really cared?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He would have just laughed at us,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re probably going to get teased all day,” he said. “If it bothers you though, I can tell Chan to stop, and he will. Probably.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re right,” Seungsik said. “I think I’m just a little sensitive right now because I’m tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to go sit over there,” Seungwoo gestured towards the other side of the couch. “Give you some space?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he pouted, pulling him closer. Seungwoo smiled and buried his face back into his neck and breathed him in. “I’m so glad you’re clingy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not clingy,” Seungwoo said, squeezing him tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik giggled happily. “Yes, you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nooo,” he said into his neck, wiggling like an excited child. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said, surprised. “You got a message.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s it from,” Seungwoo asked, not too concerned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dearest Husband,” Seungsik said, more amused than the last time he saw the contact name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, I should change that,” he said awkwardly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it doesn’t bother me,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you’re– what’s it say,” Seungwoo asked, ignoring the way his cheeks burned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not threatened,” he mumbled before speaking normally. “He asked if you have any waffle stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, like to put on top of them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess so,” Seungsik said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” he thought. “I have margarine I think. Do you have anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I have jam at my place,” he said, typing away for him. Seungwoo smiled to himself, finding the fact that he took the initiative on his own quite cute.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo*: </b>
  <span>we have margarine and jam we think</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>oohhoohoo it’s we already is it ;) i hear wedding bells</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo cringed, wanting to hide under the sofa. Seungsik snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo*: </b>
  <span>(this is seungsik)</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>oopsie </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik set down the phone for a moment and laughed with his hand over his eyes. As much as Seungwoo wanted to die from Chan’s shenanigans, he was relieved to see that Seungsik could see first hand that his best friend was harmless.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i guess that could work 🤔 </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ask him if he has anything,” Seungwoo said, not bothering to take his phone away.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo*: </b>
  <span>do you have anything we could use</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i have whipped cream</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blinked. “Ask him why he has whipped cream.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want your phone back,” Seungsik laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said cutely.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo*: </b>
  <span>seungwoo wants to know why you have whipped cream</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: 🤭</b>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” Seungwoo said, horrified. “I’m so sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed into his elbow, shaking Seungwoo who clung to his shoulder to read.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo*: </b>
  <span>i-</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>he asked 😊 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo*: </b>
  <span>maybe you should keep your whipped cream 😬 </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>:D! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at Seungwoo, his cheeks flushed from the horrible conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You feel better?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” Seungsik strained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry,” Seungwoo said. “Do you want me to talk to him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, hold on let me send something first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo*: </b>
  <span>a friend of mine went to go get coffee for all of us do you want me to ask if he can stop by a store</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to do that,” Seungwoo said. “I don’t want him to have to pay for more stuff just for us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can almost promise you he took my card when he left,” he assured him with a sigh. “It’s not a problem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>a friend? 👀 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo*: </b>
  <span>yeah he stopped by after you left </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo*: </b>
  <span>are you fine with more people</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>sure! this is your party i'm just bringing the kazoo!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungsik said out loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I couldn’t tell you,” Seungwoo said, but then Chan sent another message.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i was just kidding tho i have some stuff here because i was baking</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i have hobbies you see</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want to do,” Seungsik asked, both phones in his hand. Seungwoo hummed and scratched his chin. Hanse was already going to have to carry the coffees back, and Chan was </span>
  <em>
    <span>probably</span>
  </em>
  <span> joking. At least, he prayed that he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess we can use what he has,” he said, reaching out. “Can I talk to him real quick, I want to yell at him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he laughed, returning Seungwoo’s phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>whipped cream?!?!??!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: 👀 </b>
  <span>who’s speaking</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>me clown</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>oh lol yeah </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>???</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>sometimes a man needs to make himself feel special </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>whipped cream makes me feel special </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>:| bro you cant expect us to eat that</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i was KIDDING!!! check my instagram!!! i made meringue!!! </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>scarring my boyfriend for life and it hasnt even been 24 hours 😭 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>he’s gotta learn sometime </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>yeah but like this??</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i think it could have been worse</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo</b>
  <span>: how</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>he could have walked in on me groping someone first thing in the morning</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>I WILL BE DELETING THIS THANKS</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i’m kidding c:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>BUT DUDE IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU THO OMG</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>YOU MADE IT HAPPEN</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>THE NICE NEIGHBOR WHO BOUGHT YOU FOOD YOU ACTUALLY DID IT</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>a little unorthodox i’ll give you that but i’m proud of you anyway</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>who asked who i made a bet with byungchan 👀 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>no one asked we just,,, went with it</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>that’s modern ig</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>it worked alright</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>lol so like how do you know if you’re “together” or if you’re just someone he hooks up with wouldnt that suck lol</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blinked. He looked up at Seungsik who was busy on his own phone, scrolling through something idly and took a breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, are you my boyfriend,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he said, still not really paying attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okey dokey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i just checked he said he’s my boyfriend </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>YOU JUST CHECKED 😭 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>WHAT IF HE SAID NO</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>he wouldnt have because obviously there was never anything to worry about 😤 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>of course of course you’re soulmates two husbands in love i got it</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked at Seungsik, unable to hold back the soft smile on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>so did you two….</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>someone made that impossible c:</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>oh</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>haha</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>i probably shouldnt joke about it anymore huh</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>better not..</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>should i stall lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>no thats alright </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>just checking </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Chan: </b>
  <span>alright i’m on my way back then</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>ok see you in a few</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo set his phone down with a loud yawn and a stretch. Once he noticed that Seungwoo was done talking to his friend about whatever it was that he needed to, Seungsik put his phone to the side and collapsed over Seungwoo’s lap. “Can I sleep here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Seungwoo said, rubbing his upward facing arm. He slid himself over so Seungsik’s head rested comfortably on his leg. “I’ll wake you up when someone gets back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he said quietly, snuggling down in the couch. Seungwoo draped his arm over his body, and Seungsik took his hand and pulled it close to his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They returned to existing together in silence, but instead of Seungwoo dosing off on his shoulder, he felt the person in his lap relax into what would have probably been a soon interrupted nap. If he could have, he would have preserved the rise and fall of his chest in time so he could replay it over and over again while he slept so that he would know what that felt like sooner than later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a while, Seungsik sat up on his own and stretched. “How long was I asleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not long,” Seungwoo said, reaching out to pinch one if his cheeks, and if he didn’t know any better, he would have sworn that Seungsik leaned towards him cheek first, presenting himself to be squeezed. “You feel okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I didn’t really mean to sleep,” he said. “Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanna go get in my bed and sleep some more? When they get here, Chan and I can take care of breakfast. Apparently he bakes now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, that’s okay,” he said, rubbing his eyes. His smile lines had deepened from his swollen cheeks, and his lips formed a soft pout as he slowly woke back up. Seungwoo found him especially cute like that. He reached out and brushed the hair out of his eyes, smiling fondly at the sleepy baby his boyfriend had turned out to be. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you looking at me like that,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” he sighed. “I’m just happy, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Happy looks good on you,” he said, standing up. He pulled Seungwoo off the couch and hugged him, leaning all of his weight into his chest. Seungwoo did his best to hold him up, but he was close to collapsing on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to carry you,” he laughed</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Seungsik grumbled. “I’m too big.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve done it before,” he said quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was different,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I didn’t know about it,” Seungsik said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See, don’t you want to see what you missed out on,” Seungwoo asked playfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik took a few steps away with his hands up to keep a space between them. “No…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you do,” he said before ducking down. He wrapped his arms around his waist and lifted him up off the ground. Seungsik shrieked and flailed about, but Seungwoo had a slight advantage from being more awake than he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few moments later, the door chimed from someone opening it, but whoever it was apparently changed their mind. The door closed shut again with no one coming through, and soon a knock followed. Seungwoo let go of Seungsik and made a face. Seungsik shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked across his apartment and looked through the peephole where he found Chan waiting in the hallway. He frowned and opened the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you just come in,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I heard </span>
  <em>
    <span>noises</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Chan said, his eyes shifting. “I thought I should knock instead just in case.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no, I was just being annoying,” Seungwoo said, stepping aside to let him in. Chan had a backpack slung over his shoulder and a pair of dark aviators perched on his nose, and Seungwoo thought he looked much sillier than usual. He strutted in with the kind of stride that claimed he owned the place, and even Seungsik looked like he was close to laughing at him. “Whatcha doing, buddy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan set his bag on the counter and slid his shades down enough to give them both a shifty look. He unzipped the bag slowly, taking his time at everyone’s expense. “Somebody, uhhhh, send for a waffle iron?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blinked and exhaled before squaring up his shoulders. He stepped into the kitchen where he stood on the other side of the counter and leaned forward towards him, lowering his voice. “What you want for it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. (Except for Seungsik because this was probably all for his benefit in the first place). Seungwoo lowered himself more, expectant. Chan cleared his voice and pushed his glasses back up with one finger on the bridge wire to cover his eyes. “A waffle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo snorted and dropped his forehead onto the countertop while he shook from laughter. “You’re so stupid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan pulled the box out of the bag, satisfied with himself, and placed it down between them. Seungwoo spun the box towards himself to read the front, and saw that it was still unopened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know how to use this,” he frowned, flipping it over to the other side. The whole box was printed in English, and it had been a while since either of them had stepped in a classroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Chan said. “You’re the one with the waffle mix.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re the one with a waffle iron,” he pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was a wedding present,” he said simply. The interrobang presented itself clearly on Seungwoo’s face, and Chan waved him off. “Not my wedding, it’s a long story.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo glanced up at Seungsik, the waffle mix culprit, who was watching quietly from the side while they sorted the waffle maker business out. “Do you…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed and stepped forward. “Are their instructions?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened a few drawers, still getting used to the unfamiliar space, before finding a pair of kitchen scissors. He handed them over, and Chan opened his own box because that was probably the most courteous option considering that it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>unused appliance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One by one he struggled to pull out the contents that made the kitchen smell like old treated plastic with the faintest touch of eau de industrial warehouse. The maker itself was wrapped loosely in clear plastic with tiny black font printer on it with a little bit of tape to stick it together. It was held closed by two pieces of shaped styrofoam, and wedged between one of the pieces and the inside of the cardboard box was a folded sheet of paper with instructions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo pulled it out and frowned. “It’s got </span>
  <em>
    <span>some </span>
  </em>
  <span>pictures.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik leaned over his shoulder to look. “If we wait for Hanse, he can read it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We probably should wait for him anyway, shouldn’t we,” he nodded. “He can’t eat cold waffles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While the two of them tried to sort out the instructions, Chan pulled out the rest of the contents of his bag: a pack of bacon, a small carton of eggs, a can of whipped cream, a bottle of chocolate syrup, a bottle of strawberry syrup, a bag of fresh strawberries, a cluster of bananas, and a box of ground cinnamon. Seungwoo’s mouth opened to speak, and even Seungsik froze, neither of them sure how he managed to get all of that in one bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope these didn’t break on the way,” Chan mumbled to himself as he inspected his eggs like a jeweler.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh,” Seungwoo said. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, am I supposed to show up empty handed,” Chan asked, putting his hands on his hips. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>My </span>
  </em>
  <span>parents raised me right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s eyes widened, and Seungsik coughed and spun around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good thinking,” he almost shouted from across the kitchen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo reached over and smacked Chan in the arm with the instructions. He pouted and rubbed the spot as if it hurt, and Seungwoo stuck his tongue out at him. Chan flashed a pleased smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this okay to eat,” Seungwoo asked, more to himself, poking the bacon package. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s not even hot out,” Chan waved him off. “Again, not like you would have noticed…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to rescind your invitation,” he said, glaring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can, but then you’d have no waffles,” he pointed out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Behave,” Seungwoo said under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Chan whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is good,” Seungsik said after returning. He grabbed what he needed to put away off the counter and took them to the fridge to keep them cool. “We’ve got enough food to put four people in a small coma, but it’s Saturday so like, what else are we gonna do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This wasn’t exactly how Seungwoo had planned to spend their first full day together, but it wasn’t anything he was too upset about. Actually this was better. This was a kind of normalcy they would need to keep themselves from accidentally turning into hermits because neither Chan nor Hanse deserved that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should wash this right,” Seungsik asked, frowning. He tore the plastic off of the waffle iron and shook it off where it clung to his fingers. Seungwoo grabbed it for him and stuffed it in the box along with the styrofoam molds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably,” he said. “I can do it real quick.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While the two of them did kitcheny things, Chan set his bag on the ground and took a seat on one of the barstools. Seungwoo washed the waffle maker, and he looked over his shoulder at Seungsik who was trying to make himself busy, making room on the cramped counter space for waffles. Chan watched him with a fond look on his face making both Seungwoo and Seungsik uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungsik finally asked after being stared at for too long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan sighed, his chin propped on his fists. “I’ve always wanted a dad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Heo Chan,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Seungwoo cried out, humiliated to death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! You know how I feel about my full name,” he shouted back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re being weird,” he said, waving a wet dish sponge at him and sloshing water on the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was a compliment!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does that make me,” Seungwoo asked, almost pouting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan curled his lips inward, embarrassed. “My.. other… dad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He huffed and went back to his task, but a knock at the door saved them from any more of whatever in the world Chan was going on about. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s.. probably Hanse,” Seungsik said, heading towards the door, eager to put some space between himself and the two of them while Seungwoo was still red faced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo glared at Chan and made a slicing motion across his throat. Chan mouthed a </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and Seungwoo swiped at the air. He smiled at him innocently and wiggled his head knowing Seungwoo couldn’t shout at him anymore because now he had a guest who he would be itching to impress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik opened the door and greeted his friend. Seungwoo stepped out into the open to greet him too to be polite, wiping his dripping hands on his shirt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you help me with these,” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, sorry,” Seungsik said before taking the bag of coffees hooked around his arm. It was a wonder he didn’t spill them on the way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he laughed. “I just didn’t want to sling them against the door frame.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s in the bag,” Seungsik asked, eyeing the other sack he had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They had muffins,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Seungwoo said, walking over. He took the coffees from Seungsik, feeling a little guilty that they sent Hanse off on an errand run while the two of them lounged around on the couch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse smiled at him and nodded to Chan behind him, but when Seungwoo turned around, if he wasn’t mistaken, he was sure Chan had stars in his eyes. They sparkled like he was looking at a mountain of presents with his name on them, and his mouth was slightly open like he could start giggling at any moment. Hanse and Seungsik didn’t seem to notice fortunately, but as Seungwoo walked by, he made sure to clear his throat rather pointedly to knock him out of it. Chan coughed and looked down at his hands, his cheeks a soft shade of pink. Seungwoo caught Seungsik’s attention with a look and shifted his eyes towards him</span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do you see this?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik blinked, not quite catching on.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked at Chan and then at Hanse who was busy unpacking the things he bought for everyone and placing them neatly on the counter next to where Chan sat. Seungsik followed his gaze, and broke into a smirk before turning around to keep from laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Hanse,” Seungwoo said, rather loudly, startling him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungsik said you might be able to read this for us,” he said, sliding the paper across the countertop towards him, but his eyes were locked onto Chan who was looking at Hanse rather eagerly. Seungsik couldn’t bear to look at them, in too much pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yeah,” he said, squinting as he looked over it. “Do you have waffle mix or are we supposed to make our own batter?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do,” Seungsik said, cheerful. Seungwoo glanced at him and shook his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cute. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungsik noticed the look and averted his eyes like he wasn’t the one who had impulsively tricked Seungwoo into buying it in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This looks pretty easy,” Hanse said, reading over it. “We just have to pour it in and close the lid, I think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan pretended to frown and grabbed part of the instructions to see even though he couldn’t make them out on his own. Seungwoo rolled his eyes and turned away to force himself to keep a straight face. “Where does it say that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right here,” he said, pointing to a spot in the middle of the page.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re so smart,” Chan said in awe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse smiled, quite pleased with the praise. “I live abroad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said, sounding mildly disappointed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you just moved back,” Seungsik reminded him quickly, stepping in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah,” Hanse laughed. “I’m still not used to it yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan frowned, confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just flew back this week, and my stuff is still somewhere in limbo, so it doesn’t really feel real yet,” he explained, noticing the look. “More like an uneventful vacation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You still staying in a hotel?” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I have to find an apartment still,” he sighed. “I’m having a hard time finding something that isn’t, like, underground, and I don’t want to commit to a full lease in case they send me off again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s eyes flickered at Seungsik whose cheeks flushed. He didn’t mean for it to, but the thought that crossed his mind had apparently been loud enough that the other had heard it too, and it didn’t seem like he hated it.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He doesn’t need to sign a lease if he stays there.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And I stay here.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That would be fine with me, if it’s fine with you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik cleared his throat and looked away. “You know if I can help, I will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Hanse said with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan clapped his hands, loud enough that it echoed in the apartment, making Seungwoo’s pounding heart jump. “So who wants waffles?”</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The fic is coming to an end, but the remaining chapter count is more of an estimate, but I just wanted to give you guys a heads up that the week is almost over c:</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Waffles, Eggs, Bacon, and...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo and Seungsik finally make breakfast.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Why make one chapter when you can make several?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>With four people packed together around the kitchen on either side of the divider between the two rooms, Seungwoo’s apartment looked even smaller and more cramped than his college dorm room had been, but the atmosphere was comfortable from the warmth of the company, and the only reason he noticed how small it looked was that he liked it so much. Although he wasn’t the kind of person who cared one way or another about being physically alone, this was a space that thrived on the presence of people, these were his people. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minus one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you heard from Byung,” Seungwoo asked, pulling Chan aside. If he found out that they had had a get together without him, it would have crushed him, but this wasn’t at all planned. He would have never left someone out on purpose, especially not one of his closest friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s working today,” he said quietly with a nod. Chan wouldn’t have left him out either, but everything happened so fast, Seungwoo didn’t know if he had had the chance to think about him either. “He took a sick day off earlier this week and made it up at the shop so that he wouldn’t lose any hours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo nodded, relieved. Not because Byungchan hadn’t been feeling well, but he wouldn’t have been able to forgive himself if he hurt his feelings even unintentionally. Byungchan was naturally sensitive and always worried that he was dragging people down with his accident prone nature and aches and pains. Truthfully, no one ever minded as much as Byungchan did, but Chan once suggested that they wrap him up head to toe in bubble wrap, and Seungwoo wasn’t so quickly inclined to tell him that it was a bad idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is everything okay,” Seungsik asked, nosy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo smiled, endeared that he had noticed they were whispering so conspicuously. “Yeah, we’re fine. I just wanted to make sure that our other friend was okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is he coming too,” he asked, wide eyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I don’t think so,” Seungwoo said. Chan went back to the kitchen and started opening all the cabinets. “What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Taking inventory,” he said. “Hey, when did you get all this stuff?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo glanced at Seungsik with thin lips who whistled as he walked, no, sauntered away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s an improvement,” Seungsik said, matter of factly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course you do,” Seungwoo said without a hint of malice to his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse snorted. “Did you make this man go grocery shopping?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungsik said. “He was already going to go, I just happened to come along.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You just so happened,” Hanse said, nodding. He looked at his friend like he had more to say, and Seungwoo suspected that there was a lot the both of them weren’t saying by the way that Seungsik glared back at him, not backing down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did ask him to go,” Seungwoo said, thinking that would be helpful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse giggled brightly and shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You took him grocery shopping?” Chan demanded, more accusing than Hanse had been. “Tell me, did you do each other’s laundry too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik choked on the coffee he had been slurping on through a straw and sputtered. Seungwoo patted him on the back to help him get it all up while his face turned a flustered shade of red. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Sorry.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he coughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They totally did each other’s laundry,” Hanse muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan snorted. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“No…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo glared at him wide eyed. “Why is that weird?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me, have you two gone on an actual date yet,” Hanse asked, his eyes focused on Seungsik with a smirk on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think they have,” Chan chimed in, too smug for comfort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to,” Seungwoo said quietly. “Right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, totally,” Seungsik said with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>pfft. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“We’re going to go on lots of dates.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think they’re going to sit around and eat ice cream, and watch TV,” Hanse laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong with ice cream,” Seungsik balked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong with watching TV!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse and Chan looked at each other before they started laughing at their own secret joke. Seungwoo looked at Seungsik and frowned. He liked how they spent their time together. Were they doing this wrong? Were they not really dating?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god, sorry,” Hanse said, half laughing as he waved his hands. “It’s just you two are so damn married already that it’s really unbelievable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik slumped back against the counter with his arms folded across his chest. He looked scary like that, and Seungwoo took a step out of the way, just in case things turned nasty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ya, when you get a boyfriend, you date him how you want,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse hummed. “If I had a boyfriend, we would go out all the time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where would you go,” Chan asked quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo rolled his eyes quickly and decided it was safe to start making breakfast. He was only half paying attention, but he was sure that any of the suggestions Hanse threw out wouldn’t be Chan’s style just based on who was throwing them out. Seungsik ignored them as well and decided to help him cook.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to make the waffle mix?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can,” Seungwoo said. “I’m about to chase them off, got any ideas?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would a repeat of earlier be too much,” he joked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think you could live through that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t think so,” he said, reaching out to pinch him. It was one of many stolen touches he took when no one was paying attention. He had hoped that Chan would feel like giving Hanse a tour of the parking garage on the lowest level so he could steal more touches among other things, but it didn’t seem to be his luck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pushed back the thought of things he couldn’t do that somehow always came to mind whenever he was with him in a kitchen or near a washing machine or in the comfort of a warm bed, and ignored how heavily those feelings related to the homebody accusations the two of them had received just moments before. Truthfully, he and Seungsik both knew the reasons that they had never gone on a date before were as followed:</span>
</p>
<ol>
<li><span>Seungsik was dead tired every time he got home from work, and Seungwoo’s number one priority was to keep him relaxed enough that the stress from his job didn’t eat him alive.</span></li>
<li><span>Seungwoo had spent the latter half of the week avoiding him because he thought Hanse was Seungsik’s long distance boyfriend, and could not handle the idea of causing Seungsik even the smallest ounce of pain.</span></li>
<li><span>Neither one of them had ever had the courage to ask.</span></li>
</ol><p>
  <span>“We went to the market,” Seungwoo said idly as he took the bacon and eggs out of the fridge, loud enough to be heard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Grocery shopping,” Chan pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we went for a walk to-,” he said, glancing at Seungsik who was looking down at the dry mix in the bowl, not quite present. “Our first date we went to a street market because it was close, and I wanted to save anything that took too long for the weekend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik smiled to himself, still pretending like he wasn’t listening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yeah,” Chan pointed out. “I guess when you spend all your free time together, that counts as a date.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Precisely,” he said, spinning around. “Hanse, if you help Seungsik with the waffles, I can handle the eggs and bacon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik snorted. “Of course you can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You,” he threatened, waving a spatula. “I can cook more than eggs!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure you can,” Seungsik laughed, not indicating that he at all believed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never seen him cook before,” Chan mused. Seungwoo turned around and glared at him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not helping</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Chan smiled brightly and giggled. “What a treat this is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo licked his teeth, annoyed, but Chan was quite pleased with himself. Seungsik laughed softly as he finished making the mix off to the side, and Seungwoo walked over and pinched his side again, making him jerk with an amused laugh before resigning to washing his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of eggs do you guys like,” he said through his teeth. Everyone easily agreed that anything he made was fine so Seungwoo decided to fry them in the leftover bacon grease after he cooked the package, but he wouldn’t need to start either until the waffles were cooking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Hanse showed Seungsik how the waffle iron worked, he and Chan weren’t needed anymore so Seungwoo quickly chased them off with the unsubtle reminder than he had a Nintendo Switch that had gone untouched for months.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not the only switch in here that’s gone untouched for months,” Chan muttered quietly enough that no one else heard. Seungwoo almost choked. That wouldn’t have been the case if Chan hadn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>dropped by </span>
  </em>
  <span>without a warning text that morning</span>
  <em>
    <span>. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Chan, reading his mind, giggled to himself and hurried off to the living room before he could kill him, and not long after, he heard the sound of Mario Kart music coming from the other room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo let out a long sigh and decided to check on Seungsik. By the look on his face, it seemed that he really hadn’t heard anything, to his relief. There was only so much teasing the two of them could take before someone got upset, and even though Seungsik had the patience and tolerance of a saint, still he would have to kill Chan if he ever upset him for real.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s it coming,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s pretty easy, I think,” he said. The smell of hot, sweet batter quickly filled the kitchen as the tester waffle cooked, and it made him feel warm all over. With no one looking, Seungwoo greedily stole a kiss. It was long and quiet with Seungsik taking a deep surprised breath as his lips were caught suddenly, his knees buckling beneath him. He tasted faintly like coffee and chocolate syrup with a hint of what made Seungsik’s kisses something worth stealing. Seungwoo smiled. He hadn’t caught him sneaking any treats until then, but now Seungsik couldn’t hide it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“What?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone’s been snacking,” he said quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chocolate?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he laughed, stepping back and looking away shyly before lowering his voice to a whisper. “You should try this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik fished out a plump, deep hued strawberry from the bag he had at some point slipped out from the confines of the refrigerator. He held it between his thumb and index finger in one hand before carefully drizzling on a tiny amount of chocolate syrup with the other, only spilling a little bit on his fingers. He lifted the strawberry up toward Seungwoo’s mouth, keeping his free hand cupped below politely to keep it from dropping on the floor or his clothes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A little surprised, Seungwoo took a bite, carefully not to nip his fingers, but he shamelessly let his lips drag over where the chocolate had been. Seungsik took away the unwanted little green sprig, a slight flush to his cheeks. From anyone else, that might have been a little gross, but based on how their morning went, disgusted wasn’t exactly the way Seungwoo would have described the look on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stepped away, suddenly shy again like he had done something strange, but Seungwoo frowned and pulled him back to him, scooping up his jaw delicately for a strawberry flavored kiss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s going to burn,” he said quietly, shifting his attention back to the waffle iron.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Seungwoo smiled, tugging at him playfully. “I’ll eat that one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said, amused.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Fine,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungwoo said, giving in. He wouldn’t dare traumatize the poor boy with more kitchen smooches even if he had just fed him strawberries like they were on their honeymoon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The waffle iron beeped, telling them that it had finished the first round. Seungsik lifted the top side up and frowned. It wasn’t a perfect circle, but at least it wasn’t burnt. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Damn it.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not bad,” Seungwoo said. “We can cut this part off. I don’t think anyone will care too much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who only wants half a waffle,” he grumbled, mad at himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll eat it,” he offered again, cheeky. Seungsik pouted and shook his head. “Or we can cut them all in quarters and stack them up. Easier to share, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess that works,” he nodded, but he still held a slight pout to his lips that suggested he wasn’t going to be satisfied until he got it right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Smells good in there!” Hanse shouted from the living room. Seungsik smiled to himself, pleased. If the shape was wrong, at least the smell was good enough for a small pat on the back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See you did a good job,” Seungwoo added. Seungsik smiled brightly and bounced lightly on his heels, eager to try again. This time he was sure he could add the right amount to make a full circle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo thought for a moment, lost in the few seconds it took for Seungsik to scoop out the half-moon shaped remnant onto the plate that Chan had set aside for him, more familiar with the kitchen than Seungsik was. He watched him ladle out another batch, careful not to spill any over the sides and close it with intent. He already had the hang of it after one try. He could do anything he wanted, Seungwoo was sure of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanna take you out,” he said, almost in a daze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked back at him and blinked. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On a date,” Seungwoo clarified. “Let’s go out for real.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have to,” he laughed. “I mean I want to, but there’s no rush.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, but we would have last night if it weren’t for me, and it’s Saturday so…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about the kids,” he asked, nodding towards the living room. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The kids. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Them looking like parents had been a big laugh at their expense, but that’s how it was, wasn’t it? Seungwoo and Seungsik had in a span of a week practically eloped and adopted two grown children belonging to the other. But he had a point. Depending on how the day went, the two of them would either be so exhausted from cleaning up after a day of keeping up with their friends that there was no way in hell they would care about getting dressed up for wine and pasta (ignoring the fact that Seungsik </span>
  <em>
    <span>could not </span>
  </em>
  <span>drink wine outside of their building) or they would be stuck entertaining well into the night because it didn’t look like Chan had any plans on taking off as long as Hanse was there, and Seungwoo wouldn’t dare chase off one of Seungsik’s friends no matter what he missed out on.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He has pink hair, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Chan had whispered, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Since the last time Seungwoo had seen him, Hanse had dyed his hair a vibrant shade of hibiscus and had painted his nails to match. He was sure he also had the same shade smudged around his eyelids, but that could have just been from lack of sleep, and Chan was fascinated. He didn’t realize Chan had a type until it literally walked through the door bearing gifts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hummed. It didn’t seem like they could go out that evening so that put them off another week (or more if he was assigned to another two week shift) unless they snuck out on a weeknight, but the idea of anything but homemade food or delivery after a long day didn’t exactly suit either of them. If it was up to him, after work, they would never leave Seungsik’s couch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t need toast do we,” Seungsik asked idly, lost in his own thoughts. Toast was an eggs and bacon staple, but they had waffles so it was probably unnecessary, but it did remind Seungwoo of something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Toast?” Seungwoo asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at him, and his mouth opened in surprise. “Toast!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The big fluffy dog from the market was named Toast! His parents, the loungey looking guy and his small bossy husband told them that there was going to be a free movie in the park on Saturday, and Saturday it was. It was something that could be considered a real date, but it didn’t require them to regretfully chase off their friends. And if their scheming went according to plan, it could have even been considered a group date.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you do,” he said, but Seungwoo could tell he wanted to go. He barely ever directly asked for what he wanted, and when he did, it was because what he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> wanted was too hard to ask for. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do you want to go out with me </span>
  </em>
  <span>became </span>
  <em>
    <span>do you want some ice cream</span>
  </em>
  <span> so him asking for Seungwoo’s opinion was basically a yes on its own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed, turning towards the cooking waffle. Steam poured from the sides, and Seungwoo worried for a moment that Seungsik had overfilled it, but when the timer went off, upon quick inspection, it seemed that it was almost perfect. Seungsik smiled to himself, happy he did it right that time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re good at this,” Seungwoo praised him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he beamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What smells good,” Hanse asked, stepping into the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I made a waffle,” Seungsik said, proud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And a half,” he pointed out the one cooling on the plate. Seungsik sighed and frowned. Hanse picked the half moon up and tore it in half, earning a half hearted huff from Seungsik who couldn’t be bothered to scold him after coming down from the excitement of his perfect second try.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He flashed him a mischievous smile and handed Seungsik the other piece. Seungsik set it down on the plate and went back to his bowl of waffle mix, aggressively smacking the viscous surface with the bottom of the ladle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t pout,” Seungwoo coddled him. He grabbed a clean plate from the cabinet above and set it down between them. Seungsik’s eyes followed his movements, curious, but he didn’t ask him what he was doing. Seungwoo, encouraged by the audience, opened a drawer and fished out a fork before stabbing the torn piece on the cooling plate. He moved it to his and covered it in a messy dribble of syrup before slicing off a bite sized piece with the edge of his fork. He lifted it up with his hand cupped beneath just like Seungsik had and lifted it up to his lips. “Here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He held back a smile and shook his head. “You eat it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How am I supposed to know if it tastes any good if you don’t try it first,” Seungwoo said. “The chef is always supposed to try the food they cook before sending it out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik rolled his eyes and opened up, letting him feed him to cheer him up. He hummed that he liked it, and Seungwoo </span>
  <em>
    <span>almost </span>
  </em>
  <span>kissed the chocolate off of his mouth for him before Chan and Hanse wandered in, wondering what was taking so long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s taking so long,” Chan asked, the look of a hungry child plastered on his face. His eyes were wide and needy, and Seungwoo almost felt bad, but it’s not like they could possibly make these any faster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going as fast we can,” Seungwoo assured him. “Eat a banana.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan craned around him to inspect the kitchen. “Doesn’t look like you’re doing a whole lot of cooking in here,” he mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I start too soon, the eggs and bacon will be cold and soggy by the time we’re ready to eat,” Seungwoo pointed out. “Why so nosy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not nosy!” Chan’s eyes shifted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo turned to Hanse and sighed. “You kick his ass at Mario Kart?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he nodded. Seungsik snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Chan cried out, swatting at Hanse, an excuse to touch him, no doubt. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>let </span>
  </em>
  <span>you win!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he giggled, swatting him back. “Just like you </span>
  <em>
    <span>let </span>
  </em>
  <span>all those NPC’s place before you, huh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan scowled. “Respect your elders.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse snorted. “Okay, grandpa, try harder next time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan huffed and turned around and marched back into the living room. Hanse wiggled his eyebrows and hurried in after him, and Seungwoo shook his head, amused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kids,” he said under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It feels like only yesterday that was you and me except pretending to be con artists at a street market,” he sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Pretending,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungwoo teased. “Okay, Mr. Hold My Hand and Wear My Couple Bracelet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>insisted </span>
  </em>
  <span>that you take the other bracelet,” he reminded him, poking a thick finger into his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>mine</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he grabbed his hand and pulled it up to his mouth to bite it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik cried out a </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span> with a giggle and tried to jerk his hand away, but as he pulled Seungwoo with him, he stole a kiss of his own. “Yeah it was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s cheeks and ears burned hot, starting from the pit of his chest. There was one thing he wanted him to say to him, but he had to on his own. He very dearly wanted to be claimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So tell me,” he said, leaning against the counter and playing it cool. “How did you trick that lady into calling me your soulmate?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What lady,” Seungsik blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo paled, feeling sick. There was no way he had imagined her. The whole situation was so weird with the unprompted fortune telling and the mysterious wooden block. He was sure he remembered the look on Seungsik’s face when she said things she wasn’t supposed to that they later talked about anyway. It had to have been real…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just kidding,” Seungsik laughed brightly. “Yeah, that was weird, but not my doing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You trying to make me feel crazy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>joking</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he said, reaching out for him. Seungwoo pretended to swat him away, but he adored him too much to ever chase him off. “You aren’t dating me because of that right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungwoo assured him, quite serious. “I would have asked you out the night we met if I didn’t think you thought I was a gremlin who broke into your house to steal your snacks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at his feet, flustered. “You didn’t ask me out ever.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo snorted and dropped his head on his shoulder. “We agreed no one is asking anyone anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh right,” he laughed, hugging him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Are you guys going to make breakfast or do you need a few minutes in the cuddle cave,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Chan called out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo flinched. “Who wants bacon!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both a little too embarrassed to even look at each other, they returned to their tasks. Seungwoo put a frying pan on the burner and turned up the heat. He then arranged a row of bacon strips neatly across the surface with a pleasant sizzle following every drop.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shit,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he exclaimed as an oil bubble popped up and burned his arm. “Step back. I don’t want you to get burned. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you need a sweatshirt or something,” he asked, getting out of the way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>ah </span>
  </em>
  <span>fine,” he jumped as the grease popped up again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Ow!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sure?” Seungsik asked, jumping at another grease pop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>ah </span>
  </em>
  <span>fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik frowned and went back to his waffles, having the decency to not make Seungwoo acknowledge the pain that sparked over his bare arms anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the bacon finished cooking, he laid the pieces out on a paper towel covered plate to absorb all the extra oil and cooked another pan full. He covered the bottom strips with another paper towel and then placed the new cooked pieces on top. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the pan full of grease, he cracked in a layer of eggs, careful not to break the yolks before covering them to steam. Once the whites had set, he retrieved the eggs and put them on a plate next to the finished pile of waffles that had been neatly sliced into quarters and piled up in a small mound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo and Seungsik then placed everything they had made on the counter along with all the toppings Chan had brought with him. They put out some drinks from the fridge too and made a little breakfast buffet fit for four hungry people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time their food was ready, it was close to noon, and the four of them were pointedly starving based on the glistening looks in their eyes as they took in the feast before them. There wasn’t room for everyone at the little kitchen bar so to make sure that no one was forced to stand off to the side, they piled what they each wanted up on plates and took them to the living room to sit on the floor in a circle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they ate, the four were in danger of either falling prey to a food coma from all the carbs and grease or getting wired on a sugar rush from all the syrup, but it was a good treat for a Saturday. They talked like old friends about Hanse’s international job transfer, Seungwoo’s complicated schedule, Seungsik’s weirdest work calls (such as the literal wild goose chase after the back end of a local farm truck broke open in the middle of the city), and of course, why Chan got a waffle iron as a wedding present.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was the first time I had ever tried champagne,” Chan mused, leaning back on his elbows as he told his story with a full, content stomach. “I didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> I had downed half the bottle by the time they cut the cake. Who knew those little flutes could hold so much? It’s not like anyone had bothered to warn me when I was on my fifth or ninth. Anyways, so I was feeling </span>
  <em>
    <span>good </span>
  </em>
  <span>by the end of the night, and I didn’t have anyone to dance with and the cake wasn’t really worth the fourth slice (not like the one you got me, thanks buddy), so I decided to head out, and this little old man with little white gloves on was arranging a bunch of wrapped gifts on a table. Well, the other thing no one remembered to tell me was that all those gifts weren’t actually for the guests at all like I had assumed at that point in time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo gasped, horrified. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You didn’t.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did,” he nodded sagely. “Unfortunately, I mixed up the party favors for the wedding presents, and picked up a small box from the table, not wanting to be greedy, of course. I tucked it under my arm and marched right out the door with it, got in a cab, and opened it when I got home and immediately realized my mistake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you didn’t give it back,” Seungsik asked, surprised and invested in the story.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan took a big slurp from his coffee, air bubbling up loudly through the straw. “Nope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo laughed into his hand, not at all surprised. “And why not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because, my sweet kind hearted Snoo, life is about two things; good cake and retribution, and I, for one, am not about to disrupt the natural order of what is right and what is just.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blinked. The room fell silent as Hanse and Seungsik marinated on what </span>
  <em>
    <span>might </span>
  </em>
  <span>have been considered wisdom if it had been said by anyone else, but Seungwoo was, painfully, used to this. “You stole some couple’s waffle iron because their wedding cake sucked?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Precisely,” he nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo rolled back onto the floor and stared up at the ceiling as his soul left his body. After a few moments, he somehow mustered up the energy to speak. “Chan?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No more storytime,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik and Hanse, though, found him especially hilarious. Seungwoo glanced up and saw Seungsik wiping tears out of his eyes and Hanse doubled over in a fit of giggles. Chan absorbed the attention like a sponge, and he was absolutely radiant with his fork in hand like a king. Seungwoo had been right. He was absolutely insufferable that day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After everyone settled down, Chan and Hanse volunteered to clean up, which was a huge surprise to both Seungwoo and Seungsik who would never have dared to accuse either of their friends of being especially tidy, but they suspected that perhaps the two of them wanted to spend a little more time getting to know each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grateful that they could rest, they crawled to the couch as if they had been toiling away in a hot kitchen for days and collapsed together, completely drained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish this was your couch,” he mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can’t ditch them,” Seungsik reminded him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think they’d notice,” Seungwoo pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik snorted and rested his head on his shoulder. “You smell like bacon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You smell like chocolate,” he countered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Baby’s got a sweet tooth,” Seungwoo teased, punctuating each word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up,” he elbowed him gently. Seungwoo yowled and rubbed the spot as if it hurt, and Seungsik pinched him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“So mean.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You deserved it,” he grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Baby’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>spicy,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungwoo teased again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keep calling me baby,” Seungsik warned under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? You like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik stared in front of him intently at the frozen screen, but a muscle twitched in his jaw.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Baby,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungwoo crooned, his voice low. He made sure that his breath tickled his neck right behind his ear for the full effect.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik squirmed and grabbed his leg, his grip firm and directed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Stop it.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Or what,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungwoo said, his eyes glancing down at his mouth as Seungsik instictly licked his lips to moisten them. He could hear how heavy his breaths were, and the grip on his thigh tightened dangerously as he leaned forward. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Baby…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bruh,” Chan shouted from the kitchen. “Just because we can’t hear you, doesn’t mean we can’t see you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry!” Seungwoo and Seungsik both chimed, their voices accidentally harmonizing together. He looked at him and broke out in a laugh, and Seungsik let go of his leg and covered his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Seungwoo muttered to Seungsik alone, a little ashamed of himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik glanced at him and wrinkled his nose like he wasn’t that upset about it before hopping up on his knees and facing the back of the couch towards the kitchen. “Hey you guys wanna go to a movie later?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What movie,” the both asked, interested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s going to be a free movie in the park tonight,” he said. “We should all go.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If we get to the park soon, there might be a surprise for all ot7 stans 👀</p><p>Edit: hi! Updates will be delayed for couple weeks while the Lucky 7 Fest posting period is still on going. Sorry for the inconvenience :(</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Parents</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo and Seungsik head to the park with the kids.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello friends! I was going to wait until Wednesday, but ahahaha</p><p>oops</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungwoo did not expect to spend his whole Saturday with his friends. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, he didn’t expect to get to spend it with Seungsik either even if to anyone else it would have been inevitable, so he considered himself lucky that even if they couldn’t be as disgustingly clingy as he wanted to be now that Seungsik wasn’t just the neighbor he had heart eyes for, he could at least be close enough to touch him when he wanted to to remind himself that things had in fact changed in a very good way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo and Chan surrendered the couch to the guests, although, the fact that Chan considered himself as </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>a guest was probably more amusing than it should have been. That meant that Seungwoo was on the floor at Seungsik’s feet trading the controller back and forth like they had their own continuous supply line between rounds and having his head scratched idly when it was his turn. For some reason, Seungwoo was the only person Chan could beat, and of course he chalked it up to Seungwoo being terrible, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>Seungwoo</span>
  </em>
  <span> suspected that it was because it was impossible to concentrate with his boyfriend’s fingers tickling his ear and neck the whole time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His cart flung itself off the track into the sky as a tickle made his head jerk to the side, and he looked up at him with a pout. “I think you’re doing this on purpose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik giggled to himself. “What gave you that idea?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ran his fingers behind his ear for good measure, and Seungwoo shivered, closing his eyes involuntarily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First place again,” Chan cheered. Seungsik smiled down at him and took his controller away for his turn against Hanse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gee, I wonder why,” Hanse sighed, having caught on long ago before Seungsoo had even noticed a pattern. The guilty party and the victim both flushed and looked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not my fault Seungwoo is bad at games,” Chan said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s not your fault at all,” Seungwoo grumbled. “And I’m not bad! I’m being sabotaged!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Seungsik giggled. “Oh, it’s getting late. Should we go ahead and get ready to go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine with me,” Hanse said, setting his controller down on the side table with a stretch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” Chan stood up. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and fished out a bank note before handing it to Seungsik. “Pleasure doing business with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he sang before pocketing it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe you!” Seungwoo gaped. He had his suspicions, but to see this betrayal with his own eyes was absolutely unbelievable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s business, baby,” he shrugged. “I’ve got bills to pay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo turned to Chan, stunned. “You turned my boyfriend against me?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan and Hanse both visibly cringed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Boyfriend?!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>they said in unison.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, boyfriend,” he huffed before turning to his traitor. “Come here you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik squealed and swatted him away. “Not in front of the kids!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, not in front of the kids!” Chan and Hanse cried out in horror, shielding their eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo lunged at Seungsik who was then curled up on the couch with his arms around his knees and a cute childish smile on his lips like he knew he was in trouble but he didn’t care. It was very hard to pretend to be mad at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My dignity for pocket change?” Seungwoo said pitifully, dropping down on his stomach next to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was gonna spend it on you,” he said with his nose scrunched, petting the back of his pitiful head. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Dear</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo huffed. How had his sweet Sunday night savior become this devious fiend who sabotaged his turns for money?!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As much as I hate that I have to witness this in person, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> fun to see someone who can mess with Seungwoo’s head this much,” Chan mused, making an observation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never seen Seungsik act evil before,” Hanse added. “Fascinating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite so,” Chan agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo turned to them. “Would you like to be uninvited?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No thank you,” Chan smiled before turning to Hanse. “Come on, do you need any sweats or anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m good,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Were you about to go home to get him a change of clothes,” Seungwoo laughed at Chan’s obvious crush that was harder to watch than his own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I was gonna go get him some of yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” Hanse said with an amused smile. “Thanks though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo wasn’t sure if he was supposed to tell him it wasn’t a problem or not because he wasn’t sure if he had actually offered him anything. Chan smiled mischievously with both dimples on display, and Seungwoo felt his nostrils flair. If only Seungsik hadn’t betrayed him by switching teams, he might have stood a chance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what time is this thing?” Chan asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed and stood up. “About an hour from now, but we could head over if you guys wanna get a good spot and some snacks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Snacks?” Chan and Hanse said, interested. Seungwoo smiled to himself. It felt like he was taking his kids to the park with his husb– with his very good friend. His cheeks flushed at the thought, and he turned away so no one would notice, but putting his back against the group seemed to mobilize all three of them which was a particularly strange feeling considering one of them made it his life’s mission to do the opposite of anything he ever said, one was a fairly new stranger who wouldn’t know if he was someone worth following after yet, and the other was someone who Seungwoo had spent the last week chasing around like a lost puppy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So we’re going then?” Seungwoo asked over his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does anyone need a bathroom break before we leave,” Seungsik asked, grabbing a sweater that may or may not have been his from over the back of the couch. Seungwoo smiled to himself, and almost shuffled in place from the boost of serotonin the sight gave him. He could wear his clothes anytime he wanted if it were up to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m good,” Hanse said, unbothered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” Chan added.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Chan,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungwoo warned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright…,” he pouted. “I’ll go potty first, </span>
  <em>
    <span>damn</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sulked off to the bathroom, and Seungwoo went into his room to get a different sweater since his was hanging off of someone else’s shoulders, and after the group rejoined together, they headed downstairs to the first floor and walked off to the park.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byung is on his way,” Chan said as they approached what had early been an open strip of greenery. Booths and tents had been set up around the perimeter with just two holes on the east and west sides to funnel the crowd in and out. It was strange to see the park used like a rec space, but maybe this was how it was always used? It wasn’t like he had ever gone down there himself until he and Seungsik went market exploring together earlier that week.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they walked, he glanced down at Seungsik’s wrist. He still wore the silver couples’ bracelet they had bought because </span>
  <em>
    <span>the vendor talked him into it, </span>
  </em>
  <span>the very same bracelet that Seungsik later admitted in a fit of frustration that he had bought on purpose, and Seungwoo thought that for old times sake, it would have been nice to hold his hand again except this time not as an experiment but as his real boyfriend.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Let’s pretend to be dating.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled to himself. Seungsik was too clever, if not devious in his own right, and the proof had slipped right through Seungwoo’s fingertips. Such a person needed to have his hand held whenever in public to keep him from running off and wreaking havoc among the masses, but alas, Seungwoo didn’t want to do too much in front of their friends this early, and he wasn’t sure how Seungsik felt about being clingy in public yet. A better chance would have to be saved for a time when he could ask him directly for no uncomfortable surprises. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought about taking the other bracelet from him still at the bottom of a brown paper bag and wearing it knowing he wanted to be the only person he matched with, not even bothering to hide his jealousy of a person who wasn’t even in the picture yet. He thought about Seungsik asking him for money to get their free peanuts, and he thought about the fortune teller who knew they weren’t on a blind date but wanted them to get together as quickly as possible. Truthfully, his decision to be with Seungsik had nothing to do with the possibility of fate, and he hoped that his decision to be with him too was of his own independent will. But of course it had been, hadn’t it? Even from the first night, Seungsik did everything short of asking him out, so they didn’t need fate to intervene. Still, it was nice to hear that he was a person Seungsik could depend on even if he already knew that deep in his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it wasn’t the time to reflect. One day he would return to that very park, find their bench, and ask Seungsik how he felt about it, but at that moment, he had a group date to coordinate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you tell him where to meet us,” he asked Chan who had taken to scanning the park like a meerkat while they walked towards the entrance, looking for snacks, no doubt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I just gave him a heads up that he would need to park at the garage at your place since we don’t know where we’re going.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah! We should have waited for him,” Seungsik said, distressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I didn’t think about that,” Seungwoo frowned. “Damn it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s cool! He said he’d rather have a good seat than us wait for him in case there’s traffic,” Chan said. “It’s only a couple blocks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sucked his teeth. “Byungchan hates walking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He hates bad seats more,” he shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were a few spaces behind in line, and Seungwoo reached for his wallet since he assumed there were tickets. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got it,” Seungsik said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, thank you,” he pushed his hand away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do not make me fight you in front of all these people,” he said through his teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo snorted. “So scary.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi!” An attendant with an orange vest and a handful of paper wristbands said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi,” Seungwoo and Seungsik both said, pushing themselves forward to outdo the other. Seungwoo elbowed him for good measure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Four,” they both said before eyeing each other. The attendant glanced at Chan and Hanse in the background who were </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>pushing and shoving like children and smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okey dokey,” he said with a bright smile. “Just slap these on when you get inside please, and you’re good to go!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How much is it,” Seungwoo asked, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! The movie is free! Snacks, drinks, and souvenirs are listed inside, but you’ll need a wristband if you want a cushion or a towel,” the attendant smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>The four of them said. Of course they would only have a limited amount of free things to sit on, and he doubted that they would let people take them home so the wristbands probably helped them keep track of their inventory. That was a relief because that meant that they didn’t have to sit in the grass and Seungwoo didn’t have to physically fight Seungsik for not letting him buy their movie tickets.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, our first movie date.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>When the option of going to the movies together was first brought up, it seemed like a bad fit because Seungsik didn’t need to be trapped in a theater chair for hours, but this was better. They could get up and walk around if they wanted to, sneak off and hide behind a tree together, lie down in the grass and take a nap… the possibilities were endless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo leaned towards him quickly as they walked in to ask a question. “When you mentioned us going to the movies last week, was that a date?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he whispered. He then wandered off to the side with Chan and Hanse while Seungwoo kicked himself for not noticing before, and the three of them scanned the inside of the park with their hands shielding their eyes like explorers of popcorn and roasted peanuts. Hanse and Chan stood on their tippy toes, and Seungwoo meant to tease them for it, but then a flash of silver caught his eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up to see a boy not much younger than them with grayish hair running carefree across the park, not at all concerned if anyone noticed him or not. His eyes followed him curiously as he crashed into another person’s arms— a person whose hair was a regretfully familiar shade of blue. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No way.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He supposed it made sense since they lived in the same building, but laundry room guy? There? Of all places? And at all times?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that,” Seungsik asked, noticing he was staring at someone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so,” Seungwoo choked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm. He looks happy,” he mused. “I’m glad he has someone to swing around like that. He seemed nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good for you, laundry guy,” Seungwoo said with a smile, ignoring the shame he felt for getting caught with his (not yet) boyfriend pushed against a running washing machine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy with silverish hair flung his arms around his neck, and the one with blue pretended to dip him to the ground, earning a pleasant squeal that caught the attention of a few passersby, but they were in their own little world and didn’t notice anything else in the world. How good that must have felt to have someone to swing about with no regard for one’s surroundings. He glanced at Seungsik out of the corner of his eye and decided that both of them were probably a little too long for swinging. Piggy-backing on the other hand…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cute,” Seungsik said to himself as he watched them. Seungwoo felt himself get the warm and fuzzies watching then play too. Even if the laundry guy had caught them in the middle of </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> that still hadn’t happened thanks to every person in the universe apparently, it was good to see that he was adored by someone even more adorable than anyone he had ever seen before. “You guys wanna go get our cushions or whatever?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, let’s go,” Hanse said. “I think I see a booth over there towards the front.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse and Chan lead the way with Seungwoo and Seungsik trailing behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everyone is so colorful these days,” Seungwoo pointed out. Pink, silver, blue… it made him feel almost boring in comparison with the dark hair that hung in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I used to have peach hair,” Seungsik said with a pleased smile like he had been harboring a secret the whole time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have any pictures?” Seungwoo’s ears perked up, quite interested in a Peach Seungsik.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He giggled and grabbed his hand. “Maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I see them,” he nudged him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe when we get back,” he said, shy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungsik had a vampire phase in college,” Hanse said over his shoulder. Seungsik flinched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A vampire phase?” Seungwoo’s eyebrows raised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t like that,” he laughed nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse giggled. “Let me see if I can remember correctly…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll buy you food,” Seungsik pleaded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll buy you soju,” Seungwoo hurried forward towards Hanse, dragging poor, busted, Seungsik behind with him who could only groan in distress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Black leather pants so tight his legs went numb when he sat down…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hanse!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo gasped. “No…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Flowing white flouncy blouses….”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Bruh</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Seungsik said, horrified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Long silver earrings dangling from his ears!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hanse, shut up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A lace collar…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo choked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do Hanse, I’ll kill you!” Seungsik shouted, his face a burning shade of red that probably mirrored Seungwoo’s own scandalized face. His precious Sikie? In leather and lace? Impossible. Seungsik turned to him and lowered his voice. “It was college! It wasn’t like that! We just went to this one club a few times, it was Hanse’s idea, I swear! I was just trying to blend in! We were just playing around!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo bit his lip and suppressed a laugh. “I’m sure you were.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god, please don’t think I’m weird,” he said, clutching Seungwoo’s shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t,” he said with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t?” Seungsik blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed, pulling him towards him. “One question, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s cheeks warmed as he leaned towards him for some privacy, brushing his mouth against his ear as he spoke. “Do you… still have the collar?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik coughed. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Byung’s at your place,” Chan said, interrupting them. “I’m gonna go get him. Where do you guys wanna meet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmmm, we’ll go hold a spot near the front,” Seungwoo said. “Then we can all take turns getting cushions or whatever until the movie starts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go with you,” Hanse said, following Chan. “I don’t think I wanna catch any more of that conversation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You started it,” Seungsik said with a frown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was merely offering freely available information,” he shrugged. “And you’re the one who brought up how cool you were in college.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo snorted, and Seungsik shot him a look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does your information come with photos?” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Snoo!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s business, baby,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said with a smirk, giving his hand a squeeze. Seungsik’s jaw dropped, having the tables turned on him like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does the soju come with snacks?” Hanse bargained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pleasure doing business with you,” he said, and then he and Chan left them alone for Seungsik to jab his finger into Seungwoo’s ribs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He giggled as he rubbed the spot that ached. Seungsik huffed, frustrated, and Seungwoo pulled him towards him in a hug, discarding his earlier decision to make minimal contact with him in public. Seungsik whined as he kissed him on the cheek, but he sank into the hug comfortably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you so happy for,” he grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My boyfriend is cute,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “Why wouldn’t I be happy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God,” he swatted at him. “Don’t be so sweet you just asked me if I have a collar.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which you still haven’t given me the answer to,” he pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed. “What do you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bit his lip and shook his head, looking out at the crowd. “I don’t think I should think right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snorted. “I guess not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo took his hand. “Later, right now we have seats to find.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, yes, for the kids,” he said, amused. “Lead the way!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know where I’m going,” Seungwoo mumbled as they wove through the crowd.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me neither, but it’s more fun to watch you figure things out,” he said casually as he scanned across the rows of heads.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your eyes get really big and you stick your lips like you’re using them to check for rain,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Excuse me?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Noot noot,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungsik said under his breath with a playful smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is the last time I let you spend the whole day with Chan,” he grumbled. “He’s a bad influence on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? I was thinking he and I should start hanging out more,” he said with a bright smile. “Maybe without you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why,” he squinted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Information, my dear,” Seungsik said wistfully. “No one will know you better than your best friend, and I have a lot of questions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hummed. “What kind of questions?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An easy one? What’s your type,” he said for example.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You,” he said casually, and Seungsik’s ears turned red, but he pretended to be unfazed by it. “What else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long have you been single?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A couple years,” he said. “You?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed. “I can’t remember, but I think the same.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see,” he said as he led them around a roped off tree. “Why did you break up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought this was my time for questions?” Seungsik laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know there were rules,” he laughed. “But you don’t have to answer if you’re not comfortable. It was too personal, I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two strolled casually, not in much of a hurry to secure any seat at all for anyone. If it were up to them, they would have walked around together for the whole night while Chan, Hanse, and Byungchan found their own seats. The hand he held fidgeted slightly, and he loosened his own in case Seungsik wanted to let go, but all he did was adjust his to wedge their fingers together more securely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After some circling, they found a decent spot that could comfortably hold five people in the grass, and all that was left was to wait until the rest found them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No more hard questions,” Seungwoo said. “You can tell me things whenever you feel like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s fine, I just have a hard time putting it in words,” he said, twisting his mouth in thought. “You know when you’re with someone and you feel like you fill spaces for each other? No one takes over, but no one leaves any blanks? Maybe my expectations were too high, but there were too many gaps and too many overlaps.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo nodded, understanding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was just thinking,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” he laughed. “Don’t worry about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now you have to tell me. Oh god did I say something awful?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! No! It’s just,” he started. “That’s how I feel about you, kind of. But like, not in the way that means it’s not working.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said, surprised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No pressure of course,” Seungwoo waved his free hand. “Just thinking that I’m comfortable, and I think that’s a good thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel comfortable with you too,” he said with a soft smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he said, feeling himself become shy all of a sudden. “If you ever change your mind, I hope you never hesitate to tell me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik wasn’t a missing puzzle piece, he was half of the whole set that Seungwoo had never noticed never came with the box. It was like he had spent years frustrated because he could never make the picture on the front that was supposed to be a portrait of himself with an unknown person standing next to him that he couldn’t see because the image printed on the front had been ripped in half only to finally have things finally fall into place, and that person was a peach haired Seungsik with devil horns and his heart in the palm of his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He would do his best to make sure the feeling was mutual one day, and if it never was, he would accept it and he would help Seungsik find someone who fit well with him too. As long as he was happy, anything was fine. Now that he knew what that picture was supposed to look like, he could be happy enough with that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His phone buzzed in his pocket, and they broke free so he could answer it. He took a deep breath, snapping out of the thought he had lost himself in, and when he looked up, he saw that Seungsik had been watching him the whole time. He looked away, afraid he had been read too deeply, in favor of the contact on his screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dearest Husband.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oops,” he mumbled, having forgotten to change it. Again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik snorted. “No, leave it. It suits him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo rolled his eyes with a smile and answered the call. “What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ayeeeee,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Chan shouted. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Seungwoo, my boy!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo winced as he pulled the phone away from his ear. “Why are you like this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m full of flavor,” he said. “Anyways, where did you lovebirds go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked around at the park and tried to figure out how to describe their location. “Uhhh, the second speaker at the screen and the, uhhh, ice cream stand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got it,” he said like he was receiving an operative's location. “We’re on our way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ten four,” Seungwoo said before hanging up and slipping his phone back in his pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of directions was that?” Seungsik blinked. Seungwoo pointed to the screen and then to the ice cream stand to their left and made a right angle with his hands. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>They never finished their conversation considering the fact that neither one of them was too interested in being overheard, but he supposed they could have the deep talks anytime. This was a moment meant for them to enjoy a shared day off with three of their closest friends. He leaned over quickly and stole a peck while Seungsik’s attention was somewhere else and smiled to himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mine.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>A few minutes later, the three of those same friends appeared along with two others moving like a militaristic force through the crowd right for them. Two others who happened to have blue and silver hair. Seungwoo swallowed. Even Seungsik tensed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What are they doing with them?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Byungchan said, waving. Seungwoo waved back and caught him in a warm hug. “I haven’t seen you in ages!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you feeling well?” Seungwoo asked, squeezing him. “I heard you had to go to the doctor again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” he strained. “I can’t breathe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Asthma?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Over protective friend,” he strained harder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he let go and brushed down his sleeves for him. He turned to Seungsik and showed off his youngest friend. “This is Byungchan. He’s the baby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you,” Seungsik said, amused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not anymore,” Byungchan said, proud. “Come here, little one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you just call me,” the silver haired boy balked, his soft eyes set ablaze. The blue haired one giggled happily and squeezed his cheeks, unafraid of the tiny boy’s wrath, no doubt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is Subin,” Byungchan said like he was showing off his brand new kitten. “We work together, and now he’s the youngest. I’m a </span>
  <em>
    <span>elder.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you, Subin,” Seungwoo said with a welcoming smile. For Byungchan to give up being the baby, he must have been special. Byungchan loved being doted on too much to throw his title away carelessly, and he could see just from their brief introduction that Subin was someone Seungwoo could see himself doting on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And his friend? Sejun,” Byungchan added as more of a question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I know you,” he said with a bright smile, choosing not to clarify if he was Subin’s friend or not, and it seemed that the dimple twins had finally met their match, but Seungwoo didn’t have the chance to get swept away by such a smile because he was too busy looking for a way to run. “You’re those two guys from the laundry room!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed hard enough to cough. “What!?? No!!!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan and Hanse’s eyes cut to them, in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, we’re gonna go get some towels,” Seungwoo laughed nervously. “You guys should hold the spot so no one grabs it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Byungchan brought a big blanket!” Chan said, helpful. “We can all share! No one has to leave!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great,” Seungwoo said, strained. “Good, we don’t have to go anywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yay,” Seungsik said, distressed. “I’m so happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse giggled. “What did you two do in the laundry room?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing!” they shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sejun giggled to himself and looked away, and Subin elbowed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was that for,” he pouted, rubbing his ribs. “They looked happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Happy, you say?” Chan turned towards Seungwoo. “You will have to share so we can all look happy too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I will not,” he mirrored his smile and spoke through his teeth. Chan flashed a wicked smile, and Hanse put his forehead on Chan’s shoulder to suppress a laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you start,” Seungsik pointed at his friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse lifted his head and wiped a tear. “I’m sorry, but this new side of you is taking me out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He didn’t do anything, really,” Seungwoo waved his hands. Defending Seungsik’s honor was much more important than saving his own face. “It was all me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah it was,” Sejun cheered with a wink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Subin coughed and elbowed him again, and he yowled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What am I missing,” Byungchan asked, looking around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Snoo got a boyfriend,” Chan explained like it was yesterday’s news.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Byungchan gasped. “You?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, me,” Seungwoo said awkwardly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s the boyfriend?” Byungchan gaped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me,” Seungsik said quietly, raising his hand carefully like a student at the back of the class.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You?!” Byungchan asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, me,” he said before getting swept away in a tight hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A new dad!!” Byungchan cried out. “This is so exciting!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Three kids?” Seungsik said, unable to move, head cocked up to the sky pitifully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Subin and Sejun watched the scene unfold carefully like they were watching a movie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Five, I think,” Seungwoo said, seeing how well they fit with the others even after only a couple of introductions and an unfortunate laundry room encounter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Five?” Seungsik asked as Byungchan let him go. Seungwoo tilted his head towards the silver and blue couple, and he chuckled as he brushed himself off. “Oh, five kids it is.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry this chapter wasn’t super exciting, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! Unless I screw up the pacing (again), there are only two more chapters left so thank you to everyone who stuck with me and this ???? story 💙</p><p>Edit: three... chapters....</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo spends a Saturday night with his new friends.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this is my emotional support chapter</p><p>IT’S MY BIRTHDAY AND I’LL UPDATE IF I WANT TO ( ・∇・)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Not long after everyone became acquainted with each other, a woman with a megaphone announced at the front near the large screen that the movie would start just after sundown, or in about thirty minutes she estimated. That gave everyone a chance to grab their snacks and cushions and get settled in by the time it started so no one was left standing in the way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Byungchan offered to guard the blanket because his legs were aching from the walk so everyone could go ahead and get what they needed on the condition that Chan, his favorite caregiver, went and got him some nachos.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if they don’t have nachos?” Chan asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Byungchan fell over on the blanket in a dramatic swoop. “Guess I’ll die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you like popcorn,” Hanse asked. “I think they have cheese powder.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guess I’ll settle,” Byungchan said, covering his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan laughed. “Okay, we’ll go find something cheesy for you. Do you guys wanna come with us, or…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Subin and Sejun looked at each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Us?” Sejun asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I mean you can hang out here if you want,” Chan shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we can go,” Subin said, looking at them and back at Seungwoo and Seungsik. “What are you guys gonna do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Seungwoo said. He glanced at Seungsik for an answer who looked just as undecided as he was. “We can go too. Are you alright here, Byung?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Byungchan stretched out on his back and smiled with his eyes closed like a sated cat. “And a Sprite, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, your highness,” Seungwoo teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So rather than dispersing, they moved more as a group towards the outside edge. The teasing had stopped considering they only had about twenty minutes left to go sit down so there wasn’t enough time to bring up any more laundry incidents, and Seungwoo was especially grateful that Chan hadn’t brought up that </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> had caught them earlier that morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo and Seungsik trailed behind with Chan and Hanse leading the way on the search for nachos (Byungchan was always Chan’s priority even if Chan pretended like his head was always somewhere else), and Hanse seemed content to follow him around for some reason. The new kids, Sejun and Subin, lingered in the middle more concerned with bothering each other than finding anything to eat, although that didn’t exactly last long once Sejun realized there was someone selling baked goods for a local soccer club along the way. He stuffed his pockets with cookies and brownies, and even shoved a few treats in Subin’s pockets once his own had reached capacity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Id foh a good caws,” Sejun said with his mouth full of a moist and gooey chocolate chip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Subin reached up and dabbed the corner of his mouth with the end of his sleeve to remove a glob of chocolate for him. “Slow down, you’ll get choked.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Huh. The little one babies the older one.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Sejun smiled cutely and broke his next cookie in half to share with him. “You want one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Subin munched on it more modestly as he dragged him towards a stand selling bottled juices for a hefty price, but Sejun didn’t once complain as he dug out enough money to get Subin whatever he wanted. Seungwoo wasn’t sure what was in the bottle, but the liquid inside was a bright orange that faded to a dark red at the bottom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While they walked behind, content that the other four were happy, Seungsik slipped his hand into his, grabbing his attention. He glanced down at their intertwined fingers and smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I don’t know why I did that,” he said, self conscious like he was ready to let go if Seungwoo so much as frowned. “But I feel like I’m supposed to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So I don’t get lost,” he said, remembering. Seungsik smiled to himself and nodded shyly. “Except I don’t think that’s possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because we’re in a grocery store?” Seungsik asked, amused, swinging their hands with more confidence as they walked along the path.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked back at him, blinking quickly, but before he could fully register what Seungwoo had said, they heard a loud </span>
  <em>
    <span>woof</span>
  </em>
  <span> so startling it could have curdled milk. Surprised, they both let go and backed off in their own directions, not sure where the ominous sound came from, but not long after, a very happy boy found himself in Seungsik’s arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Toast!” Seungsik shouted with glee. “I’ve missed you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With his paws on his chest, he looked up at him with a face full of love and his floppy tongue hanging out of his mouth. A very happy boy indeed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A dog!” Subin shouted, hurrying over like it was the greatest discovery in the world. “Oh my gosh, look at him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s your dads, boy,” Seungwoo scratched his ear. Toast dropped down to all fours and then flopped down on his back for belly rubs, and Seungsik and Subin dropped down too, fully obliged to give him the belly rubs he deserved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Toast!” A weak voice shouted. “Toast! Come here, boy!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s right here,” Seungwoo shouted out to nowhere, raising his large arms over his head like a homing beacon. It was good to be tall sometimes, he thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toast, completely unbothered by his distressed dad lost in the crowd, closed his eyes and wiggled around in the grass while Subin made kissy noises at him. Seungsik’s palm was on his happy belly giving him a good scratch, and Seungwoo thought to himself that maybe he wanted his belly rubbed too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Toast?” The concerned dad called out, now making an appearance out of the crowd.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wooseok!” Seungwoo tried, praying that that was his name. Honestly if he had gotten his name wrong, the man could hardly be upset about it considering that they had his dog in a safe place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The person he was pretty sure was Wooseok turned around with wide eyes and saw him, but it took him a second to register that he had ever seen Seungwoo before, but once he did, his eyes went down to the ground where his beloved doggy was busy being spoiled rotten.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” he trudged over, out of breath. “Toast, you are </span>
  <em>
    <span>grounded</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toast looked up at his dad and panted happily before continuing to receive all the love from these new people who could not ground him that he could absorb. The other dad, Seungyoun, ran up to them not long after, and doubled down on his knees, out of breath too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re so fast,” he said. “So tiny. But so fast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not fast enough,” Wooseok grumbled. “He got away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I see that,” he said, looking up at the small group that had gathered around his dog. He looked up at Seungwoo and smiled like he knew something and straightened up. “Toast is always excited to see Seungsik.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blushed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Seungsik apologized, standing up properly. “He just ran over.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no, we’re the ones who are sorry,” he insisted. “We’re just so happy he’s safe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s a good boy,” Seungsik said, proud. “He makes me want a dog.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you and Seungwoo decide to adopt one day, we know a really good shelter close by,” he said casually. Seungwoo and Seungsik both looked at each other like </span>
  <em>
    <span>how does he know, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but Seungyoun just laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok sighed. “Ignore my husband. Our friend runs it, and he’s always trying to get the pets adopted out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only when I can tell they’re going to be good parents!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Babe, they’re not even–,” he said in a hushed voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, of course they are. Look at them,” he said quietly like no one could hear them even though he, as a person, was not that quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo coughed. He was right, but did he have to come out and say it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me,” Subin said quietly, looking up over his shoulder. Everyone in earshot melted immediately at how soft spoken and polite he was. He stood up and brushed himself off and turned towards Seungyoun, the shelter’s unofficial spokesperson. “Does the shelter have any cats?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, of course! Every kind of cat! We just got a big fluffy white kitty the other day, and she loves lap-sits! Look!” Seungyoun hurried over like an excited child with his phone out to show off all the pictures of shelter cats he had taken. Apparently there was a whole folder on his phone dedicated just for the kitties.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sejunie,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he looked up with glistening eyes. Seungwoo’s heart jumped, and he was thankful that he wasn’t the one who was going to have to tell him no. “Can we…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sejun’s bottom jaw jutted out in distress as he looked at Seungwoo and Seungsik who wouldn’t have been able to save him even if they wanted to, but it didn’t seem like he was looking for a way out. “Do you guys know what pet rent is like in our building?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uhhhh, I’m not sure,” Seungsik said, looking at Seungwoo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know either,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll pay it,” Subin pleaded. “You don’t have to do anything, I promise! I’ll get the food and litter and everything. I make enough, I just can’t–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he said, scratching his chin. “We can keep her at my place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Subin ran over and hugged him, almost dragging him to the ground and crushing his cookies, and Seungsik leaned into Seungwoo, nudging him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, they </span>
  </em>
  <span>are</span>
  <em>
    <span> cute.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Toast waddled over to his owner and rammed him in the leg, making Seungyoun’s knee buckle. “Oh, I guess that’s our cue to leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for watching Toast,” Wooseok nodded an apology.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anytime,” Seungsik said brightly. “Bye, Toast!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others bid the happy doggy a farewell, but they had wasted too much time. The sun was about to set, and Byungchan was still waiting for everyone to come back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I can go on a snack hunt if everyone wants to head back,” Chan offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got it,” Seungwoo said. “You guys can go get seated. What does everyone want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Orders for popcorn, nachos, candy, or “whatever looks good” were given along with wads of cash, and the group headed back to their blanket so they could get ready for the movie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about you,” Seungwoo asked Seungsik.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sending me away,” he pouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I just want you to get a good spot too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hanse won’t leave me hanging,” he said, confident. “Come on, we’re going to be late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was lucky that he insisted on staying with him because it would have been a nightmare to carry everything back by himself. Most of the crowd had taken a seat already which made finding their way back a lot easier, but when they got back, Seungwoo saw that Byungchan had moved their blanket to a place in front of a tree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ayeee, snacks!” Sejun said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo and Seungsik carefully placed everything down in the center, and the snacks were evenly distributed amongst the people who asked for them. They sat down too, and as soon as it was dark, light was projected onto the screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The movie this month apparently was the animated version of Cinderella, a movie he hadn’t seen since he was a kid. Everyone seemed pleased with it, opting to ignore each other for the screen, and Seungwoo felt himself relax. If this was how their first movie date was going to be, he couldn’t have imagined it any better. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a while, he glanced at his boyfriend out of the corner of his eye to see if he was happy and noticed that he was hunched over slightly with heavy eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He must be exhausted.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo scooted back until his back found the tree, and he nudged his leg with his foot. Seungsik looked back with a questioning expression, and Seungwoo waved for him to come over. He looked over at their friends and back at him before shaking his head. Seungwoo scrunched his nose and frowned, not taking no for an answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Curious, he slid over towards him and leaned in before whispering, “what is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come here,” he tugged at him. He made him turn until his back faced him and pulled him back between his legs. “Lay down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why,” he whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I’m comfortable,” he whispered, patting his own chest. “Come see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With some awkward shifting, he reclined back against him, scooched down enough that his head rested on his shoulder with his knees bent up in the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this comfortable,” he asked into his hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo wrapped his arms around his chest to support him and sighed happily, grateful that Byungchan had moved them. Not long after, he was fast asleep on his chest, and Seungwoo was happy to keep him from falling over. Chan looked back, curious, and saw the position they were in and smiled before returning to the movie, himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Good, no one needs to wake him. He’s sleepy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>With no one paying attention, he craned his neck to kiss him on the side of the head before letting his own fall back against the bark. Even if the movie lasted for hours, he would have been happy to sit there while he napped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the movie neared the end, Seungwoo realized he probably needed to wake him up so he would have a chance to </span>
  <em>
    <span>wake up </span>
  </em>
  <span>before the whole crowd became active again, but he didn’t want to startle him. Unfortunately, he happened to know first hand that Seungsik could be a pain to wake up when he didn’t want to, but maybe that was just after a bottle of wine and not half a coke and a split candy bar between the two of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To gently rouse him, he rubbed his sides where his hands had fallen and nudged his head gently with a soft foray of kisses, completely undetected by the others. The best way to wake him, he decided, was to annoy him affectionately, and it seemed to be working. He nudged his ear with his nose, and moved his hand to slip under his sweater to tickle him, but before he could find the end of the fabric, a sleepy hand squeezed his fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed, not quite registering what was happening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Movie’s almost over,” he whispered. “Time to wake up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was I asleep,” he asked quietly, leaning forward off of his chest to sit upright. Seungwoo nodded in the dark and reached out to touch him. He would not explain himself for missing him so easily. No one could blame him for that. He rubbed his eyes and cracked his neck, and Seungwoo sat up properly too and cracked his own, stiff from being jammed against a tree. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Sorry.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head and leaned forward, dropping his chin on his shoulder. “You had a big day. And a long week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik reached down and took his hand and leaned his head against his. If they had been home, he would have pulled him into his arms and they could have napped on the couch together as long as he needed, but there he couldn’t even kiss him like he wanted to. He supposed if he was brave enough, he could have stolen another peck since no one was watching, but it didn’t seem like the right time, and he could see that he was probably too tired to want him to try it anyway. Instead, they finished the movie with Seungwoo draped on his shoulder and ran his fingers up and down his back while Seungsik took several deep breaths to force himself awake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once it was over, fairy lights strung above that they hadn’t noticed before when it was still daylight came on, lighting the crowd enough for people to safely see their way out. The group gathered their trash and helped Byungchan fold up his blanket so they could leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for letting us sit with you guys,” Sejun said with a bright smile, practically producing his own light. Seungwoo hadn’t seen anyone as naturally happy as he was before. He liked having him around even if he did know too much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, thanks,” Subin added, turning towards his coworker. “I’m glad we saw you come in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anytime,” Byungchan said with a smile. “Kiddo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Subin’s face dropped into a low simmer, and Byungchan giggled happily. Sejun grabbed his arm and laughed awkwardly, tugging at his angry friend. “I guess we should probably get going. I’m starving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, I’m kind of hungry myself,” Hanse said more so to himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Chan almost shouted. “We should go eat too!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo and Seungsik each suppressed a laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Down, boy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could eat,” Byungchan said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you hungry,” Seungwoo asked Seungsik.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little bit, yeah,” he said. “Do you guys all wanna… or did you have plans?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No plans, we were just going to find a convenience store or something,” Sejun said. Seungwoo frowned. These kids needed to eat better than they did if they were going to grow up to be healthy and strong, and Seungwoo had to do something about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t we all go grab something right now,” Seungwoo said. “My treat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik’s eyes scanned them all, and then he looked at him like he had lost his damn mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do you realize how much this is going to cost?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, but it’s just this once.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s like a week’s paycheck.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I know, it’ll be okay.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure,” Subin eyed them, a mind reader no doubt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I think that’s a great idea,” Chan chimed in with a comforting smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You do…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, I got paid yesterday.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re doing this to impress Seungsik’s friend, aren’t you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan cleared his throat and smiled, strategically looking away to avoid any more eye contact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you know what, we should all go get dinner,” Seungsik chimed in.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Not you too!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m not about to let you two cover everything. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo huffed. “Great. Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sejun, Subin, Hanse, and Byungchan looked at him startled, and he realized he probably sounded pissed off about it, but only because his best friend and boyfriend were sticking their wallets where they didn’t belong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, let’s go!” he said with a bright smile that he hoped looked less threatening than he thought it did. “I’m starving!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ushered everyone out, and they compliantly moved towards the exit line where they were wedged together with the rest of the dispersing crowd.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They funneled out in twos with Byungchan sandwiched between Chan and Hanse and Subin and Sejun, happily enjoying the attention the four of them gave him, towering over all but one. Seungsik reached out towards Seungwoo, feeling around clumsily until he found his wrist while he looked ahead. Seungwoo smiled to himself, warmed that this had become more of a habit for him than a choice he made on purpose, and he welcomed it gladly. He slid their palms together and grasped his hand for him, and Seungsik seemed to relax as soon as he had a hold of him again. He wondered if crowds made him nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they were out, the seven of them regathered to decide what they wanted to eat as a group just a few steps short of Seungwoo and Seungsik’s bench. He supposed it was too late to say he had changed his mind so they could sneak off and spend the evening there again so he pushed it out of his mind. Their bench could wait.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you guys in the mood for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without his vote included, the group was split half and half between barbecue and pizza. He silently prayed for pizza to win for the sake of his poor wallet, but he didn’t want to look like a cheapskate so for the illusion of impartiality, Seungwoo suggested that they play rock, paper, scissors to pick the meal. Before playing, everyone had to say their choice to make it fair, and the winner got to choose where they ate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Round after round, men fell, only leaving Chan and Subin in the center with their fists held strategically behind their heads. Chan was pizza, and Subin was meat if Seungwoo remembered correctly, and on the count of three, their hands met in the middle for the final draw. Chan held his hand in a tight fist, and Subin laid his own flat, parallel to the ground. He cheered happily that he won, but then realization struck and Subin was suddenly eager to change his answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh wait! That’s so expensive, I didn’t even realize! We can do pizza, really!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone else shouted their objections, ready to give the baby the dinner he wanted. Seungwoo could feel the other five itching to grab their wallets to split the bill, and the burden lifted slightly off of his shoulders. It seemed that, as a group, treating Subin trumped their own needs for personal gain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a destination in mind, they walked down the street to one of the perpendicular side streets where a few shops and restaurants were hidden away. The smell of smoke and seared meat drew them in like riches unimaginable, and he thought that if they had been sailors lost at sea, the lure was stronger than any siren’s song.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They piled inside, mouths watering and stomachs empty, and even though he had a full fridge at home, his heart jumped, overjoyed at the prospect of eating </span>
  <em>
    <span>proper food. </span>
  </em>
  <span>They ordered ten servings for the seven of them, trying to be modest, but he suspected that there would also be a few orders of fried rice or soft tofu stew added before the night was over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the food, drinks were ordered, and the table was covered with bowls of a dozen different side dishes, kimchi, rice, and cups and bottles of beer and soju for everyone except for the youngest who didn’t drink and Byungchan who drove there. It was a banquet, and Seungwoo couldn’t have been happier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched the others fondly as they ate the grilled meat, piling their favorite toppings up for wraps and stuffing their mouths full until their cheeks puffed out like chipmunks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not eating enough,” Seungsik said quietly as he pinched the ends of a leaf in his fingers. “Here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked over in time to see him lift it up with his hand scooped below to keep himself from dropping anything. He opened up and let him feed him, cheeks burning a slight red from the gesture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>From then, they focused on each other while the rest of the group managed themselves without Seungwoo’s watchful eye. He thought in that moment that all of the time he had spent by himself or just with Chan alone had been wasted if the alternative was having a family like this to be with even if just for a Saturday night dinner. (He never considered quality time with his best friend as a waste of time, but having all of these people together made him think that maybe there was more than just beer and sausages after a long day).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced over at his boyfriend who looked at them as fondly and happily as he did. If he didn’t know that only a week ago he would have thought that he might have been lonely, he would have thought then that this was what every night for him was like. Seungwoo reached over and put his hand on his knee and gave it a squeeze. Seungsik looked over at him surprised, but once he realized he was just saying hello, he smiled at him softly and went back to his beer that he finished off in two gulps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I wanna take a walk,” he said. “Get some fresh air.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” Seungwoo said, not caring if he was being clingy or not. The other five, too busy feasting and drinking and playing, opted not to follow them so they had a few minutes alone together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stepped outside in the cool air. Seungwoo tossed the empty beer bottle in his hand in the trash and kept a few steps back like he was only there to make sure no one gave him any trouble. Seungsik wandered over to a nearby claw machine and looked over his shoulder at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re gonna lose your money,” Seungwoo teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pretty good at these,” he said. He reached for his wallet and pulled out the bank note Chan had given him. “And I told you I was gonna spend it on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hummed and walked up beside him. “Ok, let me see your skills.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hummed as he scanned the tops of the plushies’ heads. “Whatever’s easiest. I like them all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okey dokey,” he said, determined. He fed the money into the machine, and it sang a tune for him as the claw shook loose. He wiggled the joystick strategically until he got the claw positioned where he wanted it, and then he pressed the button next to it. The claw lowered slowly, and Seungwoo expected to see it jerk to the side, but when it lifted back up, the metal clasp had nabbed a black floppy ear. It dragged it across the other toys and dropped it into the basin to be retrieved at the bottom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo stepped back so Seungsik could retrieve it, and when he turned around, he presented to him his own palm sized Snoopy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For you,” he said, proud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think you would actually be able to do it,” Seungwoo said, surprised. He held the toy in his hands like it was the most important gift in the world, but that’s because to him it was. “You should keep it though, you won it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won it for you,” he said. “A Snoopy for Snoopy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo smiled to himself. Not many people pointed out the likeness anymore, but he supposed that only meant around Seungsik he had smiled more than he did around anyone else those days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said, shyly, resisting the urge to hug it to his chest. He loved that little toy more than anything he had ever been given in his life, and it was a pity he didn’t know how to win him something in return. But he </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> enable him… he reached into his pocket and found some spare change in his wallet. “Here, you should play some more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like watching you play,” he insisted. “One more?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” he said. “One more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He slipped the coins in their slot until the machine was activated again. This time Seungwoo rested his chin on his shoulder with the arm holding the snoopy plush wrapped around his stomach. He watched him in the reflection carefully eye the toys again looking for a good target before he moved the claw a second time. Seungwoo’s heart raced as a thought came to his mind, and he wasn’t sure he was brave enough to say it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until the claw dropped.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Come home with me.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik tensed in his arms, and he worried he had said too much. He was ready to pull away and laugh it off like he was joking when a hand reached back to find his waist. He nodded and exhaled deeply, expelling all of the air from his lungs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not even bothering to check to see if the claw had grabbed any of the toys, he turned around to face Seungwoo, reaching out for his sweater to have something to hold on to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only if you’re ready,” he added quietly, feeling selfish for even bringing it up. “I promise anything is fine with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As an answer, he leaned forward and found his mouth, and Seungwoo let himself be kissed for a moment before he kissed him back, softly and warmly. That was the yes he needed to relax enough to keep his stomach from knotting up even if they still parted ways at the end of the night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could find out if it meant a true yes or a </span>
  <em>
    <span>one day</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Seungwoo’s phone rang, and he almost shouted out in agony, but all Seungsik could do was smile and cover his face. He pulled it out of his pocket with a frown and almost threw it away when he saw the name on the screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me guess,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t think you have to,” he said to him before turning his attention to the caller. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, where’d you go?” Chan asked over the noise of the restaurant crowd.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just for a walk, we’re coming back now,” he said, frowning at Seungsik. Seungsik smiled bitterly, but he wasn’t too upset. After all, they were used to this. It had been happening to them all week.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha, I thought you were skipping on the bill,” Chan teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” Seungwoo said, rolling his eyes before hanging up. “I guess we’ve gotta go back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess so,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you forgot your prize,” he said before they left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did I win something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought you did, but maybe not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm, let me check.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bent down to the box and fished out the plushie that had dropped for him mid-kiss and smiled, pleased. A shiba toy for him to match.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just like you,” Seungwoo said, happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it?” He asked, but he wore a smile that said that he saw the likeness too. Seungwoo glanced down at the orange plushie in his hand. It was cute, but he was cuter in his opinion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked back to the restaurant without saying anything else, less leisurely than before. It was like they both wore their own poker faces to face their friends again, and Seungwoo wondered if he had in fact said too much. The hand that had sought him out the whole day hung limply at his side, and he bit back the urge to grab it himself once he saw that Seungsik wasn’t going to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the inside of the restaurant held a different aura, and he didn’t have the chance to overthink because when they sat back down, not looking at each other, the others were loudly arguing over the bill. From what he could gather, the arguments went as followed:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>— Chan thought that he should pay because he was the oldest there now that “the Seungs have bailed”;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>— Sejun thought that he should pay because he and Subin “intruded on their dinner”;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>— Hanse thought he should pay because this was his first outing since coming back to the country;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>— Byungchan thought that he should pay because everyone else was paying;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>— And Subin was busy watching the scene unfold before him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got it,” Seungsik said, waving everyone down. “Put your wallets away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not,” Seungwoo said, looking more at Chan than him. “I’ve got it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve done enough, I’ve got it,” he said, and Seungwoo’s heart dropped. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>gone too far, and now he worried that Seungsik was sick of him. He wondered if there was enough time to sneak out while the six of them argued so he could go find a time machine and correct his mistake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo squeezed his Snoopy under the table for comfort. “No, this is on me. You don’t have to worry about anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “This isn’t anything to worry about because I want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if we all paid,” Subin said, idly pushing around an empty bowl that hadn’t yet been taken away, looking more like a bored cat than the playful baby that had first walked in there.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sleepy boy, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungwoo smiled to himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone stopped arguing to look at the youngest who suddenly flushed at the sudden burst of attention. “What? We split the bill seven ways, and then no one has to feel bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Six ways,” Sejun mumbled, implying that he was covering for Subin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Five,” Seungwoo added, not looking at the person sitting next to him who shifted uncomfortably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan huffed. “Four.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Three,” Hanse nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan looked at Hanse and blinked. “Dude?! Four!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” He looked at him in surprise. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo leaned forward onto the table and put his head in his hands, in pain. Seungsik reached down and pinched him to keep him from screaming. They looked at each other and smiled, both having a hard time keeping it together at Chan’s ridiculous outburst and Hanse’s cluelessness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what,” Seungsik said. “Seven ways, and then maybe next time we can take turns.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked at him, ready to argue, but everyone was so full and tired that it would have been six to one if he bothered. So they split the bill six ways since it was so expensive that really no one could have managed it on their own, but the promise of a next time lifted their spirits as well as their competitive natures. Numbers were exchanged enthusiastically, and they weren’t even out on the sidewalk before Seungwoo’s phone blew up in his pocket with group chat notifications. This was his new family, and they were happy, so he was happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sejun and Subin left first, waving them a big loving goodbye, and as they walked off, he heard a slightly tipsy Sejun gush over Subin’s new kitty, and Subin made sure to keep him on the inside of the sidewalk with himself next to the road to keep Sejun from stumbling off where he wasn’t supposed to go. Seungwoo frowned, worrying that he and Seungsik should have offered to walk with them for safety, but then after a few steps, he realized that Sejun was stumbling around on purpose and Subin was only enabling him because it amused them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Byungchan, who drove, offered to get Hanse back to his hotel, and Chan all but dropped to the ground in defeat. His crush was slipping out of his fingers! It was the end of the world! Seungwoo shook his head. It wasn’t like Hanse’s best friend didn’t live across the hall from </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>best friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Byung, do you think you can drop Chan off at his building too,” he suggested as a way to give them more time together. “I wanna make sure he gets home safely.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No sleepover?” Chan blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you rather go home with me or go with Hanse and Byungchan?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan looked at the others before registering. “Oh! Yeah! Byung, could you give me a lift too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure,” he shrugged. “My car’s at Seungwoo’s building so I guess we should go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Byungchan scanned everyone’s faces for their opinions, and it seemed that everyone was ready to go home. It was late, and it was dark out, and it was time to part ways— sort of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The five that remained walked back together as a group to his apartment building. Chan, Hanse, and Byungchan talked animatedly the whole way there, but Seungwoo and Seungsik walked quietly behind them. Seungwoo wanted to ask him if he was okay, but it was best that he didn’t draw attention to them because if he wasn’t, it was probably a conversation better had in private. Maybe they would meet each other again the next day for it, but maybe not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few blocks, they made it back to their building. The three headed towards the garage, and Seungwoo gave Byungchan money for parking since he had stayed a few hours longer than he was supposed to. Seungwoo and Seungsik then went in their own direction, into the lobby, and towards the elevators, too tired to drag themselves up the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They got off on their own floors and walked quietly down their hall until they reached their doors. Seungwoo looked at him to say goodbye, but before he could open his mouth, a hand took his and pulled him towards Seungwoo’s door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik reached up and put his hand carefully around his neck and kissed him, and Seungwoo let out a deep breath, pulling back slightly so that their foreheads were pressed together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure,” he said, quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In response, he ducked and found his lips again, kissing them deeply with enough urgency that made Seungwoo back him against the door, eager to push them both through it. He reached down and felt for the handle and punched in the number with his thumb without looking or tearing himself away from him, praying that he picked the right pads. The door beeped, and he slid his hand behind his back to brace him before pushing it open, and Seungsik pulled him inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door fell closed behind them, and they were finally alone in his apartment without a question of where they were going, what they were doing, or who they were doing it with, completely uninterrupted, and there was no longer a doubt in his mind that when it came to each other, there was no such thing as too much.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. A Day of Doing Nothing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo wakes up after their first full night together.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungwoo woke the next morning with Seungsik fast asleep in his arms, or rather he woke up in </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>arms, held tight like he was afraid that Seungwoo might get away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His face was pressed against his chest with his arms wrapped around him and his feet dangling off the bed, and he was sure if he moved at all he would have felt that neither one of them wore a stitch of clothing. He smiled to himself and kissed him lightly enough on the sternum to not wake him before reclosing his eyes, content enough to spend the whole morning there just like that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached up to touch his arm just to make sure he was real and noticed that his skin was cold. Of course he was cold! If Seungwoo was living his best burrito life down half way towards the bottom of the bed, how could he have slept comfortably uncovered? He peeled himself away carefully and moved up to one of the pillows and covered them both with the blanket so they could both sleep the rest of the morning comfortably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik’s sleepy eyes slowly blinked open. His mouth was frozen in a soft pout and his swollen cheeks formed two stark lines around it, framing a beautiful picture that he probably wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to see. Seungwoo’s heart swelled three sizes too big at the sight, and he wondered how he would handle seeing him first thing every morning if it was possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning,” he said quietly, reaching up to stroke his cheek, letting his thumb smoosh his skin until Seungsik pouted cutely, annoyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik reached up to take his hand, and he pulled it over to his mouth to give it a kiss before he held it between them safe away from his poor adored face. Content, he closed his eyes to go back to sleep, and if Seungwoo </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> wanted to be as annoying as he could have been, he would have covered his unguarded cheekies in kisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning,” he mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go back to sleep,” Seungwoo whispered fondly. “It’s too early.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded and took a deep breath, still holding his hand like it was the stuffed toy he won the night before or a charmed talisman meant to keep the bad dreams away. Unbeknownst to him, Seungwoo watched him fall asleep, thinking about how happy he was to wake up next to him. This was how his mornings were meant to be, and he was sure that even if they only had two minutes in the mornings before work, it would be better than any coffee or energy in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not long after, Seungwoo followed him to sleep with the additional thought that they should always hold hands when they slept. It was even better than holding hands when they walked around. Or he just liked any excuse to hold his hand, but that was neither here nor there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While he slept, a pair of soft lips kissed the tops of his fingers sprinkles of fairy dust before pulling away so faintly it felt like a dream. A very good dream. A dream where he was loved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He woke up alone, but the ache he suspected would have been there in such a moment was replaced with a continued warmth. There was a softness to waking up alone because it didn’t feel like he had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>left there</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was a security he didn’t know he could find so easily after so many doubts in such a short amount of time, but after all, this was Seungsik, a thoughtful and considerate person. He wouldn’t have </span>
  <em>
    <span>left him. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Even if him not being there was a bad thing, he would have at least woken him up to deliver the news.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m sorry. This was a mistake.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>No, Seungwoo didn’t feel like that was the case at all, but what he did feel was the overwhelming urge to go to the bathroom so he let his primal instincts lead the way. While he was in there he brushed his teeth and washed his face, ignoring the stubble around his mouth for later. It’s not like he had plans to go anywhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he stumbled down the hall, flatfooted in just a pair of shorts and a shirt he grabbed off the dresser to make himself decent before accidentally flashing the whole neighborhood, he saw a sight that almost brought him to his knees in the most unnecessarily dramatic way possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik was folded up on his couch in just a t-shirt and sweatpants, typing away on a laptop, his hair slightly damp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Seungwoo said, not awake enough to form words yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he laughed. “Did you sleep well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know I slept well,” he mumbled, stumbling towards the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I?” Seungsik asked, cheeky. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> sleep well?” Seungwoo smiled to himself as he fiddled with his coffee pot.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said knowingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo bit his lip and suppressed the memory in his head that he would surely replay to himself over and over again whenever he had a moment alone just so that he never would forget a single detail. He quietly poured a cup of coffee, using the few minutes alone in his kitchen to wake up enough to have a real conversation before bringing the mug into his living room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat down next to him on the couch, holding the coffee cup carefully in both hands so that he wouldn’t spill anything on the cushion, himself, Seungsik, or Seungsik’s laptop and nudged him. “Here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that for me,” he asked, his eyebrows raised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” Seungwoo nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He set his laptop down on the cushion at his other side before accepting the gift with a forehead kiss for Seungwoo who was busy trying to find a way to get his head on his shoulder without making a mess. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a sip, careful not to burn his tongue, and Seungwoo hoped he made it right. They had never discussed cream and sugar preferences before so he went with neither, but it seemed to be what he liked based on the fact that he didn’t spit it out. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you were,” he leaned against his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The second time,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right here,” Seungwoo said, slipping his finger in Seungsik’s pants pocket to tug at the fabric. “It counts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not upset?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. “Do I look like someone who would overthink things so easily?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Seungwoo said with a smile. “But no, I figured you hadn’t gone much farther than home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed. “I had to take care of a couple things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone’s important,” he teased, but he knew what it meant. It didn’t exactly take a trained detective to notice the damp hair and the fresh change of clothes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not that kind of stuff,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can smell the mouthwash,” he said, closing his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said, in a good mood. He took another sip of his coffee. “Didn’t you make you any?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will,” Seungwoo said before sliding his hand under his shirt to find Seungsik’s belly. It was warm and etched like someone who didn’t have a desk job, and Seungwoo had to control the flutter in his chest. “Tell me something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How is it that you have the personality of a marshmallow but the body of a chocolate bar,” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed loudly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Please!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s true! I can grate cheese on these things,” he said, still rubbing his stomach. “What’s your secret?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you asking me for fitness tips,” he looked down at him. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I walk a lot at work so it’s different,” he said. “But maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned forward to set the coffee mug down on a coaster Seungwoo’s mom had insisted he’d need one day before flopping back down and taking Seungwoo’s other hand. “The gym downstairs is an excellent place to relieve stress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanna go with me sometime?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to completely take over your life,” Seungwoo laughed. “Don’t you want some free space for yourself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not,” he said. “I would bring you to work with me if I could.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could hide under your desk, probably,” he offered. “I don’t think anyone would notice me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Baby, you’re a tree,” he laughed, giving him another kiss on the top of his head. Seungwoo’s cheeks burned, but he was pleased with himself for the positive reaction. “Go make yourself a cup so I don’t feel bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo tisked. “Taking care of myself? In this economy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you don’t want me to make it,” he warned, wide eyed. “Burnt bean water.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat up and scrunched his nose with a stretch. Even if he would have loved the gesture, he wasn’t ready to start his day with bad coffee even if Seungsik made it for him. “Alright, I’ll go get my own.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood up to leave, but Seungsik grabbed his wrist, stopping him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he said quietly, giving him a gentle tug. Seungwoo bent down enough so that he didn’t have to reach up too far and kissed him, bracing himself on the back of the couch on either side of his head. Seungsik raised his hands to his face to hold his cheeks, taking the lead. The wave of emotions hit his chest at once, a familiar pain he thought he had learned to ignore, but it seemed to come back in the moments where Seungsik reached out to him and he supposed he had been taken by surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could get used to this,” he said after pulling back slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” he gave him one quick peck so Seungwoo could stand up and go to the kitchen like he had meant to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He almost danced in place while he poured another cup, overwhelmed with </span>
  <em>
    <span>feelings. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He had </span>
  <em>
    <span>real </span>
  </em>
  <span>feelings for this person who returned them gladly, and he could </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel</span>
  </em>
  <span> that in every moment shared between them. This was more than he could have ever asked for, and he was able to feel a huge burst of it just from one kiss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he returned, Seungsik had his computer back on his lap, busily typing. Seungwoo sat next to him, farther away so that he wouldn’t accidentally see his screen, but he faced his body towards him with one of his legs folded beneath him so his attention was still fully on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you up to?” Seungwoo asked, nosy. Asking was different than looking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quitting my job,” he said casually.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” He was surprised. They had talked about it once, but he didn’t know he had been seriously considering it, but Seungwoo knew how much stress it caused him, and it wasn’t a normal amount of stress either. It wasn’t bad bosses or harsh deadlines. When the world fell apart, he was the one who was supposed to stay calm and figure out how to help people in their worst moments. It was a burden Seungwoo wasn’t sure he could have handled himself, so he didn’t blame him for wanting out, although, if Seungwoo ever had an emergency, and the person on the other line was like Seungsik, he would have known he was in good hands. “When did you decide this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but last night, I guess,” he said. “When we were watching the movie, and l, uhhh, closed my eyes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Took a nap, yes,” Seungwoo nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I rested my eyes for a moment, I dreamed that I did, and things were okay, so I thought, welp, why not, you know? I only know how to do one thing, but people change jobs all the time. I can be flexible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you going to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” he said. “I’ve been looking up jobs with the same skills to see if I can find anything I already know how to do first before I branch out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any luck?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah a few civilian dispatching jobs. I’m feeling pretty good about them, I think. It’s basically the same thing, but without the death and despair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo set his mug down, and leaned over onto the back cushion, propping his head up on his wrist. “If you quit now without anything lined up, how many months do you have before things get tight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean like from my savings?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he nodded. “If that’s okay to ask.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he said. “About five months as long as I don’t go crazy on delivery food. Maybe longer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hummed, thinking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know it kind of got brought up yesterday, but if Hanse split the cost, what would that give you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About a year,” he said. “I would have to do some more math though, and also it would depend on what he was willing to help with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo didn’t say anything. Hanse seemed like the kind of person who wouldn’t have mooched off of him, but there was also the chance that Seungsik didn’t want to take on a roommate after living on his own for so long. If he was able to make things work for half a year and if he could get a new job lined up, there wouldn’t have been a need for him to anyway. At that point if they did move in together, it would have been entirely for Hanse’s convenience.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And it’s still just a one bedroom,” Seungsik added, typing away, but his mouth tightened. Having a roommate in that kind of an apartment wasn’t ideal plus there were a lot of new variables in Seungsik’s life that weren’t there when they were in college. Seungwoo for example…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm…,” Seungwoo strained, that invisible boundary he constantly feared right on the horizon. “Is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is my apartment a one bedroom?” He laughed. “We have the same layout.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean,” he stopped himself, pursing his lips. He needed more coffee. He reached over for his cup, and Seungsik closed his laptop, watching him carefully in anticipation.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo took a deep breath. “It wouldn’t feel like a one bedroom… if you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I what,” he sipped from his own cup with a faint smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you weren’t so cute, I’d swear at you,” he frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you wouldn’t, but I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, shameless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You like my bed that much?” Seungwoo laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik flushed and looked down. “You were offering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I was,” he said. “On one condition.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s that?” He looked at him seriously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You switch couches with me before he moves in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed loudly and brightly, a wonderful sound to start the day, in Seungwoo’s opinion. “That’s your condition?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a good couch,” Seungwoo defended himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a good bed,” he agreed quietly. “So what would this be like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing would change that much,” he said. “You could keep stuff over here if you wanted for space since I have extra room and I don’t mind. We’re friends, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik raised an eyebrow, and Seungwoo continued with a smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’m already going to make you sleep with me all the time because now that I know what that’s like, I’m kind of attached, but you don’t have to worry about anything because we’re not moving in together yet, you and Hanse are, if that’s what you decided to do, until he’s ready to get a proper apartment or you find a new stable job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” Seungsik asked. “You’re really okay with it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine with whatever you want to do,” he said calmly. “But you still have to sleep with me at night either way, that’s the most important part.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he laughed. He reached over and took the mug out of Seungwoo’s hands and set both of theirs down on the table before dropping his face down on Seungwoo’s shoulder. He let out a long pathetic groan, and Seungwoo wrapped his arms around him, pulling his weight towards him until he was completely slumped over. “I’m quitting my job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you are,” he said, holding him. “How do you feel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like the stress is gone,” he said honestly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo nodded even though he couldn’t see him. “Good. Things will be better then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for not thinking it’s a bad idea,” he said, sitting up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re just replacing it for something better,” he said. “Now if you just planned to fuck off without a plan B then maybe…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed. “No, no, I’m not that impulsive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How impulsive are you then,” Seungwoo joked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think throwing myself at the dude who broke into my apartment is pretty impulsive,” he said simply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s jaw dropped. “I thought we were past that! It’s been a whole week!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been a week,” he looked up at him with a smile. “Thank you for showing up out of nowhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for taking me in,” he leaned forward to kiss his forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe I’ve never run into you before. Imagine if we had met months ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hummed, smiling to himself. “Would you have liked me if we met some way else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so,” he said. “I mean, I can’t think of a situation where I wouldn’t have liked you, but I don’t know if I would have ever been brave enough to talk to you any other way, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me neither, honestly, but I think I would have liked more time with you,” he said. “It means we would have already gone out on a proper date.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A proper date, hm?” Seungsik raised an eyebrow. “Speaking of, what are we doing today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully nothing,” Seungwoo slumped over, and Seungsik laughed happily, flopping over with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Works for me, I’m tired,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You must be,” he said, taking him in his arms. “Let’s just not </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would love to not </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>with you.” He reached up and gave Seungwoo a light peck on the corner of his mouth before settling down on his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to have breakfast?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should look at a clock,” he said with his eyes closed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo frowned and reached for his phone. He pressed the unlock button to see the time glaring back at him, and he almost choked. He had slept half the day away like a complete idiot. He swore under his breath, but all Seungsik could do was lie back and giggle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry,” Seungwoo said. “Why didn’t you wake me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you were tired, and this is your last day off,” he said. “I would have stayed with you, but…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, please, I’m glad you got up,” he insisted. “I can’t believe I made you wait…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a Sunday,” he said with a yawn. “What else was I supposed to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure there was a lot you would have rather been doing than waiting for me to wake up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik sneakily turned over and drew his knees up to his chest, and Seungwoo suspected that he fully intended to take a nap where he was, but there was no force on Earth that could have convinced him to stop him. “I stole an energy bar, went home, took a shower, came back, checked on you, went back and got my laptop, came back again, tweaked my resume, watched a youtube video, and then cleaned up some of the mess from yesterday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked up over the counter and frowned, seeing how spotless his kitchen was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what else I would have done if I wasn’t over here,” he added. “Wait all day and wonder if something was wrong? I didn’t have to worry that things weren’t going to be okay because I knew for a fact that you were just sleeping so I was able to do this job searching stuff without making a bunch of dumb mistakes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo kissed him on the top of the head. Seungsik of course never had anything to worry about with him, but he supposed that would take some proving on his part in the future. “I guess that’s a normal Sunday then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is,” he agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Next time you can wake me, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head, half nuzzling. “There’s no need.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I hate that we missed so much time because I was sleeping.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up at him. “Is that really missed time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo thought about it. On one hand, they did </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span> together for half a day when they could have made up for the whole week, but on the other, while he was sleeping off a very good night, Seungsik had made himself at home in Seungwoo’s apartment and did the little tasks he needed to without much of a disturbance or, it seemed, unnecessary stress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I suppose not,” Seungwoo said. Seungsik craned his neck up and gave Seungwoo a kiss on the underside of his jaw before shimmying back down to his chest, no longer bothering with any amount of subtlety. Seungwoo smiled. “Are you about to take a nap?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who me,” he hummed dreamily, and Seungwoo felt a light squeeze around the barrel of his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why you little…,” he said quietly, earning a pleased giggle. “Alright, you can nap.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you put something on, I don’t know how to work your TV,” he mumbled, handing him the remote from some hidden location. Seungwoo blinked rapidly, baffled. His Sunday night hero was an actual baby who needed the TV turned on for him so he could take a nap?! How did this happen?! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your neck is going to get stiff like this,” was all he said with a soft smile as he turned it on for him. He handed the remote back with his finger on the guide button so he could find something he liked to nap to, and Seungsik left it on a food and travel show. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this okay,” he asked, looking up slightly like he was waiting for him to tease him or insult his choice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I like this too,” he said. Pleased, he relaxed back down against his chest, hunched over uncomfortably, but if that’s how he wanted to lay, Seungwoo couldn’t do much about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a while, they quietly watched the show together. He was sure Seungsik wasn’t asleep because he didn’t have the limp weight of someone unconscious, but he didn’t want to bother him just in case he was, and then unfortunately, the host of the show decided to cook up some of Seungwoo’s favorite foods with a mountainside view in the background, and suddenly he craved a long vacation with the person flopped over against his chest and maybe a snack or two. Or breakfast. Or lunch. Whichever he was supposed to call it. He didn’t mind waiting until later, but anytime he mentally denied himself food, his stomach was known to protest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik lifted his head at the gurgle that rumbled against his ear, and Seungwoo pretended like nothing happened, focusing seriously on the screen while pushing Seungsik’s head back down to his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>heard </span>
  </em>
  <span>that,” he giggled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you didn’t,” Seungwoo said, scowling at the television.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat up and stretched with an amused smile. “Yes I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nuh uh,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s eat something. I’m hungry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked at him. He knew he was being manipulated, but he didn’t care. It was the </span>
  <em>
    <span>law </span>
  </em>
  <span>that he took care of him any time the need presented itself. He supposed if </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>was hungry, they could stop being lazy on the couch together and eat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you in the mood for,” he said as they stood up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik sighed heavily in distress. “I am really not in the mood to cook anything or clean up, but what else can we do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, because we didn’t order </span>
  <em>
    <span>ice cream </span>
  </em>
  <span>the other night,” Seungwoo pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am supposed to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>saving,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he frowned. “Remember?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m </span>
  </em>
  <span>not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t let you,” Seungsik protested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since when?” He smiled. Seungsik rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, big spender, what do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>want,” he said, his hands on his hips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked at the screen and frowned. He knew what he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but he doubted it would have been the same so far away from the shore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik followed his eyes and hummed. “We could do sushi? It’s probably not the same though…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s stomach growled. He looked down at it and gave it a warning pat. “Hush.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Terribly delightled, Seungsik’s face lit up, and Seungwoo had to tear himself away before he started laughing. He wasn’t sure another person had ever witnessed him scolding his own belly before, but if it had to be anyone…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both jumped at a sudden unexpected electric beep followed by the </span>
  <em>
    <span>hello!!! </span>
  </em>
  <span>that had them turn around like they had been caught again. Although two dudes standing around in their house clothes discussing delivery food options wasn’t exactly scandalous, still, after how the whole week had gone, they had reasons to feel guilty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you miss me?” Chan flashed a smile, and it seemed that their day of doing nothing was thwarted by a man with too many plastic bags on his arms for someone who didn’t mean to stay.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>all i can offer yall at this point are husbands and their feral ass friends and i’m sorry</p><p>I’m a little bit burned out because this month was really busy, and I hope this chapter didn’t suffer. TT I’m sorry if it did</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Assisted Alone Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chan asks Seungwoo and Seungsik for a favor.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ahhhh I’m so sorry it took so long!!! I really hope you enjoy this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Listen, I need your help, and I don’t have a lot of time,” Chan said as he dropped his bags down on the counter. The greasy smell came like a wave, and Seungwoo’s stomach growled loudly enough that Seungsik, who was watching the situation unfold like a deer in headlights, gave him a knowing smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With what,” Seungwoo asked, ignoring the way Seungsik looked at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he was the kind of person who did what he wanted without any regard for other people, he would have ignored Chan’s problem in favor of the food that he didn’t know if he was allowed to eat or not. For all he knew, Chan was on his way to drop it off at Sejun’s apartment on whichever floor he lived on. Chan might have been a little unhinged at times, but he also had a big heart and would have emptied his wallet in a heart beat for their new friends especially if the little fiesty one wanted a snack. But Seungwoo was patient and helpful even if he was starving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan brushed his empty hands off onto his jeans that came up a little too short from his ankles, but he supposed it made him look taller. Maybe. “I need to have some assisted alone time with Hanse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Assisted alone time,” Seungwoo said, waiting for clarification.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, like with a chaperone,” he said. “I can’t ask him over to my place yet, that would be weird. I’m not you guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik choked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You need a chaperone? At your big age?” Seungwoo raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I,” Chan started before returning to his bags, shuffling the plastic like it was supposed to help. “Don’t know what to talk to him about. By myself…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at them both and blinked, tugging at his bottom lip.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ohhhh,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungwoo and Seungsik said, practically harmonizing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hanse can talk about anything,” Seungsik offered. “He’s really nice and likes everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what if he thinks I’m boring,” Chan asked. He looked at them both worried like he was waiting for one of them to tell him he wasn’t, and when no one said anything, he continued. “I mean, I don’t have crazy hair, and I sell car insurance. I don’t even have a car.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you like us to help you dye your hair,” Seungwoo offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe some clip-in red highlights,” Seungsik chimed in. “You’d look nice with those.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would he,” Seungwoo asked, touching his own virgin black hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think a nice dark blue would suit you,” Seungsik added, scrunching his nose. Seungwoo smiled, pleased. See, if he wasn’t working for the government he could pull off cool colors too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan cleared his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” they muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan’s scowl faded into a soft, worried frown. “Can you help me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo and Seungsik quickly told him they would, and he relaxed. It wasn’t like Seungwoo would have ever told him no, and he suspected that Seungsik wouldn’t have either, but Chan still appreciated the enthusiasm. After all, he was Seungwoo’s best friend and would have done the same for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, so what’s the plan,” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan hummed. “Well, Hanse has been out of the country for a while, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Seungsik confirmed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So I was thinking,” he said. “He probably got homesick because I know I would have, and the best thing to remind a person of home is food, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Seungwoo nodded, noting the bags Chan brought over with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And like sure you can get it overseas, but it’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>the same, so I thought that maybe he could use a little welcome home lunch,” he flashed a smile. “So I got everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh huh,” he stepped out of the way so they could see. Seungwoo leaned forward, and the first thing he saw was the bright red container of tteokbokki, and he understood. Chan went full late night snack for the sake of flirting with a guy he just met, and well, Seungwoo had no room to judge. “Everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s supposed to eat all of this?” Seungwoo asked. “Are you trying to put him in a coma?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got enough for everybody,” Chan said, swatting at him. “I’m not a total monster.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo giggled to himself, and Chan continued. “I thought that maybe the four of us could spend the afternoon together so I could, you know, reel him in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had expected to spend his last day off with Seungsik, but he supposed this was more important. It couldn’t be helped, but as if Chan could read his mind, he added one more point to his proposition.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just lunch,” he promised. “If things go well, you guys can help me ask him to go somewhere with me when we’re done eating, and then you two can get back to writing each other love letters or whatever else it is you do when no one’s looking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik gave him a thin smile. “We’ll be happy to help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great!” Chan clapped. “Thank you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He threw his arms around him and squeezed, and Seungwoo raised an eyebrow, but Seungsik seemed especially fond of the attention. Of course he was. Seungsik was a helper who helped and who liked it when he made people happy, and he liked </span>
  <em>
    <span>knowing </span>
  </em>
  <span>he made people happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Chan was going to squeeze him to death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chan,” Seungwoo warned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t about you,” he said, clinging onto Seungsik.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re crushing him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m not,” Chan squeezed harder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s fine,” Seungsik strained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heo Chan,” Seungwoo said, his hands on his hips. “Do not break my boyfriend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan tensed and let go. He smoothed Seungsik’s shirt down for him and gave them both a cheeky smile. “My bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik smiled warmly like he didn’t mind, and it made Seungwoo feel a softness in his stomach that moved down into his legs. Someone that sweet and loving was all his, and he even cared for the people Seungwoo cared about…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, uh, are we going to stare into each others’ eyes all day, or is someone gonna call Hanse before the food gets cold,” Chan said, snapping Seungwoo out of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik blushed, realizing Seungwoo had been staring at him, but Chan didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually </span>
  </em>
  <span>care. Sure, he didn’t want to watch them makeout on the couch, but Seungwoo knew that if he was happy, Chan was happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t call him already?” Seungwoo raised his eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if you guys said no?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I don’t have his number.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo exhaled sharply. “Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed, amused. At least </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone </span>
  </em>
  <span>was amused. If he was fine playing matchmaker, then so be it. Seungwoo and Seungsik could be the best matchmakers Chan had ever seen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What excuse should I use?” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you could tell him Seungwoo fell,” Chan considered. “Then we can have Seungwoo roll down the stairs, and I could go run after him like a really cool action hero, and Seungsik could record it and slap it on tiktok with some music.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is an idea,” Seungsik nodded. “I don’t have an account though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do,” Chan said happily. “After this, you should make one, and we can follow each other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Seungsik smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo cleared his throat. “As much as I love flinging myself down the stairs, can’t we just tell Hanse that Chan bought a bunch of food and didn’t want him to miss out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ohhh,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungsik and Chan said. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is literally my worst nightmare. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go ahead and text him to see if he’s not busy,” Seungsik offered. He pulled out his phone and busily sent his message while Chan slipped next to Seungwoo, undetected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You seem cozy,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve got good taste,” he mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I promise I’ll get out of here before you know it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” Seungwoo assured him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s not,” he said. “I just didn’t have another option.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo nudged him. “Did I say anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You never say anything,” he said. “But I should have asked first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo let out a long sigh, looking at Seungsik. If he hadn’t overslept, they could have spent the morning lounging around together doing nothing, but then he remembered their talk about just being happy being in the same space together and he saw how happy Seungsik was to help, thumbs moving wildly across the screen. “I’m sure I can think of a way to repay me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like how,” Chan raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I might need your help moving a couch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Chan could ask what he meant, Seungsik returned to their conversation with good news. “He said he didn’t want to intrude on you guys, but I said that it was Chan’s idea to invite him, since, uhhh, it was, and he was like</span>
  <em>
    <span> what if Seungwoo gets annoyed</span>
  </em>
  <span> and I, uhh, had to improvise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you say?” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said, uhhh, you wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he smiled awkwardly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo closed his eyes and shook his head. “He’s gonna think I’m scary.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a genius,” Chan clapped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, Hanse likes you a lot,” he said. “I think he’s going to try to adopt himself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You talked about me,” Seungwoo asked, shy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swallowed. “Maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, like we talk about anything but Seungsik. What else are they supposed to talk about,” Chan cut in. Seungwoo elbowed him. “Ow!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned towards Seungsik. “We talk about other things too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No we don’t! You wanna see the messages?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I?” Seungsik’s eyes shifted nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, don’t you have a date to plan,” Seungwoo said to Chan, stressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, right!” Chan hurried back to his bags. He started unpacking everything while Seungwoo walked over to Seungsik.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not what you think,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not? I guess you’ll just have to tell me all about it later, then,” Seungsik said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want you to see what a loser I am,” he wrung his hands together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something about having the olympic gold in jumping to conclusions,” he said, a little ashamed of his own behaviour. Seungsik looked at him apologetically like he had been too cruel before, but that wasn’t the case at all. Seungwoo </span>
  <em>
    <span>needed </span>
  </em>
  <span>to hear it. Otherwise he would have still been chasing around his own doubts instead of plotting a great couch heist. He leaned over and planted a secret kiss on Seungsik’s cheek. “It won’t happen again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t have–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes you should have. And I’m glad you did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still, it’s not something I feel good about,” he said. “I’ve never been like that with anyone, and it’s not like me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>needed </span>
  </em>
  <span>it,” Seungwoo insisted. He took his hand and moved his mouth closer to Seungsik’s ear and lowered his voice. “It just means I’ll need you to call the shots for us so I don’t do it again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bit his lip shyly and looked down at his feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know that my back is turned so that means I can’t hear you, but can you guys do this later,” Chan said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” they said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Horny asses,” he grumbled to himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want our help?” Seungwoo reminded him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan turned around and flashed a smile. “Would you care for a little mood music?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No thank you,” Seungwoo smiled back. Seungsik, on the other hand, looked horrified. “He doesn’t mean it. He’s just like this. He’s done now, </span>
  <em>
    <span>right?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Chan said. “Sorry, Sik.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Chan and Seungwoo shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps I went too far this time,” Chan said. Seungwoo glared at him like it was obvious that he had. “I promise, I’m just messing around. If it makes you uncomfortable, I will be on my best behavior from now on!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really,” Seungwoo asked, unsure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no, I think Hanse is just as ba– I mean, Hanse has been teasing me for it too,” Seungsik assured him. “You two have a lot in common.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do?” Chan asked, excited and distracted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Seungsik said. “You’re both insa- insightful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Nice save.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thanks.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Chan asked, interested. “Anything else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at Seungwoo nervously for help. How would he know? He doesn’t even know Chan yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re both good friends,” Seungwoo tried to help, but Chan only frowned. “I mean like obviously we like you both a lot and you two like each other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think he likes me?” Chan asked with wide eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did spend the whole day together yesterday,” Seungsik considered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With you guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure,” Seungwoo nodded, seeing where Seungsik was going with his point. “It was like we weren’t even here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, you’re right,” Chan said. “It </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>like you two weren’t here at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo squinted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly,” Seungsik said. “Watch, it’ll probably happen again today!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes!” Seungwoo chimed in. “You’ll both probably go do something cool without us even noticing you left!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think so,” Chan asked, eyeing them both.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes!” They cheered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he nodded. “I think this is gonna work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is,” Seungwoo assured him. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve got your back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then not long after, there was a knock on Seungwoo’s door, and Chan froze like a statue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that him,” he whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It might be,” Seungwoo said like Hanse was Santa Claus, and Chan was his son hearing a suspicious thump on the roof. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Be good and close your eyes so Santa can go leave presents!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got it,” Seungsik offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe Chan should get it,” Seungwoo said with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, yeah good idea,” Seungsik agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse knocked again since no one answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go,” Seungwoo pushed him. “What are you waiting for!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay!” Chan hurried over. “I got it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan walked towards the door and smoothed himself before opening it. Hanse was there with his own plastic bag hooked around his elbow. As he walked in, Seungwoo noticed his hair had been dyed back to a dark brown and that he was dressed more casually than he had expected. It didn’t seem that Chan was going to need to get clip-in red highlights to impress him after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for inviting me over,” Hanse said towards Seungwoo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, this was Chan’s idea,” Seungwoo made sure to say. “He thought you might have been homesick so he decided to bring over a feast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was really nice of you,” he said to Chan. A soft warmth made an appearance on his cheeks, and he cleared his throat. “I didn’t want to come empty handed so I got us all some drinks. I hope that’s okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s great!” Chan said. “I totally forgot to pick any up, and all Seungwoo has is beer and yogurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, that is just not true,” Seungwoo scowled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s kind of true,” Seungsik mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whose side are you on,” he asked, hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not the one who doesn’t remember to buy groceries,” he said. Seungwoo’s jaw dropped, but how could he deny it? He was caught red handed. “But… luckily that won’t be a problem anymore, will it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess it won’t be,” Seungwoo looked down at his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have they been like this all morning,” Hanse blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeup,” Chan said, exhausted. “Literally the whole time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That gave Seungwoo an idea. He looked at Seungsik and wiggled his eyebrows, but this time Seungsik had no idea what he was going on about. Well, he couldn’t always be a mind reader, but Seungwoo was sure he could get the message to him with a few well timed gestures that were </span>
  <em>
    <span>probably </span>
  </em>
  <span>going to get him in trouble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked over and wrapped his arms around him, propping his chin on his shoulder. He dropped his weight at once, making Seungsik bend over slightly to support him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Seungsik started quietly, a little shocked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just can’t help myself,” Seungwoo said, giving Seungsik a light squeeze. Seungsik looked over his shoulder and frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If we gross them out, they might leave together.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mind us,” Seungsik added, swaying back and forth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse looked like he was about to throw up, but Chan looked like he was ready to kill them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you two going to eat with us or stand there being sappy?” Chan said, scowling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can eat,” Seungwoo pulled himself off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great,” Hanse said to himself, eyeing the bags more than he was the annoying couple in the center of the room. Maybe Chan was onto something, afterall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When everything was spread out, it seemed that he didn’t forget to buy anything. There was everything from fried seaweed to cheese corn to chicken feet. There were fishcakes, two different kinds of tteokbokki, three different soups, spicy squid, and he was pretty sure he also got pig trotters. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t as hot as it would have been fresh, but it was delicious and filling, but it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>dangerously </span>
  </em>
  <span>filling. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>take a nap </span>
  </em>
  <span>filling, and the goal was to get them out of the apartment together so they could spend time together, not comfortable on the couch for the rest of the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Seungwoo said, ignoring his food. “What are you guys gonna do today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Subtle, he thought. Seungsik raised an eyebrow at him. Maybe not that subtle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just woke up right before Seungsik texted me so I haven’t made any plans,” Hanse admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So did Seungwoo,” Seungsik mused as he idly picked off a misplaced chilli pepper from Seungwoo’s plate and moved it to his own. “Have you done anything since you got back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Other than yesterday, I’ve just been sleeping,” he said. “I don’t travel well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yeah, you must be exhausted,” Chan said. Seungwoo frowned. It seemed that Chan’s plans of taking him out on the town weren’t meant to happen, but it wasn’t anyone’s fault. It wasn’t like he had been rejected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I’m kind of sick of being inside,” he laughed. “The movie last night reminded me of how much I love this city, and no offense, Seungik, but your apartment is that much more exciting than my hotel room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Chan asked, leaning forward. “What do you wanna do now that you’re back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo and Seungsik smiled at each other. Seungwoo stuffed a whole dumpling in his mouth to keep from laughing, and Seungsik ignored the comment about his apartment in favor of their matchmaking working out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse hummed in thought and then looked down. “It’s kind of cheesy…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Chan asked, interested in whatever it was he had to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I kind of miss Hongdae,” he said. “The buskers were fun to watch, and there’s just no other place in the world with the same vibe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan nodded, scratching his chin.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sure Chan the Insurance Salesman, take your date to Hongdae.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Also the, uhh, Hanok village,”  he said, his eyes shifting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I haven’t been to one in ages,” Chan said, excited. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s open until this afternoon, I think,” Seungsik offered. “You two could go walk around. Throw on some costumes. Make a tiktok.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tiktok?” Hanse almost choked. “Where did you learn about that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am one of the youth,” Seungsik said proudly. “Chan helped me make an account.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” Hanse said, horrified. “Grandpa, no.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not old!” Seungsik cried out, rather childishly in a way that made Seungwoo want to flop over on the floor and become an earthworm. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> older than </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then he wanted to flop over and weep for different reasons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Barely!” Seungwoo cried out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The old men are fighting,” Chan muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re the same age as him,” Seungwoo gaped. “Old man!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan and Seungsik both gasped. Seungwoo almost felt bad, but Seungsik just threw him under the bus, and he needed a little reality check that his bones were just as creeky as Seungwoo’s were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan turned towards Hanse and put his hands over his own heart in a trusting way. “I can assure you, I am not nearly as old as they are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So about that favor you needed,” Seungwoo reminded him, annoyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Chan said, snapping out of it. “We could go if you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about you guys,” Hanse eyed Seungsik. Seungsik smiled and tilted his head, blinking twice. “Oh. Oh! Yeah, we should go! That would be fun! You guys are too tired right? Long week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we’re pretty tired,” Seungsik said. “Long week and all that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo chimed in. “Yeah, and I’ve gotta go back to work tomorrow so I’d rather just not do anything today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm,” Hanse nodded. “I start back next week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh good,” Seungsik said. “I was worried they’d send you back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope! I get to stay for a bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s heart beat a little faster. If Hanse was there for a long time, he would get his own apartment, and Seungsik wouldn’t be able to leave his job for a while like he wanted to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They didn’t tell me,” he smiled bitterly. “They only gave me the heads up for three albums, but you know…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik nodded. “Yeah, I got it. You know, you can stay at my place, if you want. Split the rent and whatever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How much are you guys gonna hate me if I crash on your couch,” Hanse asked, eyeing them both carefully. “I don’t want to get in the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Chan said before sipping on his drink like he knew a secret. Seungsik looked at Seungwoo like he had told him what they were thinking, and Seungwoo reached out and touched his leg hoping that he knew he meant he didn’t. Chan was just too smart for his own good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanse raised an eyebrow. “Something I’m missing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Seungsik shrugged with a loud sigh. “But you wouldn’t be in the way. Actually you’d be doing me a favor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How so?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at Seungwoo for encouragement like he needed someone to tell him it was a bad idea before someone else did, but Seungwoo didn’t think it was a bad idea at all. It looked impulsive on the outside, but he had a good enough support system and enough savings that his decision was manageable. “I’m… quitting my job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?!” Hanse almost shouted. “I mean thank god, but like, what?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed nervously. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while so I sent a few applications in this morning, and I think it’s time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is great,” he smiled from ear to ear, a good friend in Seungwoo’s opinion. “Dude, I’m so proud of you! If you need me to cover rent until you get another one, you know I’m good for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to do that,” he waved him off. “I’ve got a little put back, but I think if you want to… we could…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Roomies again, say no more,” Hanse said, shaking his head. “We’re getting you out of there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A pang of guilt hit Seungwoo after a flicker of jealousy. He knew it was bad, but he had no idea how bad, and it seemed that Hanse did because of course he did. They were </span>
  <em>
    <span>close, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and they had been close a long time, and there were still a lot of layers left for Seungwoo to uncover that would take time, trust, and patience. He had no right to be jealous that Seungsik was able to tell Hanse what he couldn’t tell Seungwoo. The only important thing was that things got better for him no matter what.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik smiled, comforted by his friend’s support, and Seungwoo smiled too because someone supported him. He was someone who deserved to be cared for, and that was a fact. The more people who cared for him, the better off he would be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’re sure,” Hanse asked carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Positive,” Seungsik nodded. “When your stuff gets here, drop it all off at my place. We’ll move some things around when we’re both free.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is there room?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” Seungsik said awkwardly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told him this morning he could keep some stuff at my place to make things easier,” Seungwoo said. Obviously Seungsik couldn’t say so himself in case Seungwoo didn’t mean it when he said so. That could have made an uncomfortable situation for everyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he raised an eyebrow with a smirk. “You mean like all of your clothes, your books, your food, and your laptop I saw on his couch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, not necessarily,” Seungsik said carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What else could he keep over here, Chan,” Hanse asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably a whole Seungsik,” he said, amused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think there’s room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I agree.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We aren’t moving in together yet,” Seungwoo said, waving a plastic spoon. “I was simply offering to make extra space since I have room and I live a few steps away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure you aren’t,” they said at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, you two have a lot in common,” Seungsik said through his teeth. “Maybe you should head out for your trip to the village and see what else you have in common.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is a great idea,” Chan said, seizing the opportunity. He stood up, and compelled, Hanse followed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We really going?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” he said, cheerful. “Oh, but I don’t have a car…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like the metro,” he laughed. “But we should probably go then so they can, uhh, rest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he agreed. “The grandpas need a nap.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do not,” Seungwoo said, punctuating every word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speak for yourself,” Seungsik mumbled, slumping over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, you take a nap,” Hanse laughed. “We’ll leave you to it then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon Chan and Hanse were gone, and Seungwoo and Seungsik were left cleaning up and putting up the leftovers, but that seemed to be a ritual that they liked to do together. Their kitchens had become a haven of sorts where they could reset and organize and ground themselves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik had made a huge decision, and he didn’t have a lot of time to think about it before it was set in motion, and he wore it on his face. He needed resetting, organizing, and grounding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you feeling,” Seungwoo asked, closing the refrigerator door with the last container inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know that I was going to do that,” Seungsik admitted. “A little nervous, honestly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He said yes so that’s good right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he swallowed. Maybe Seungsik had wanted him to say no so that he wouldn’t have had to go through with it. Maybe there were other things he was wary about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you’re okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded. “I just… with the teasing… I don’t want to push myself on you like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, hey,” he frowned, pulling him into his arms for a hug. He wrapped his arms around him tightly and held him so that he couldn’t wiggle away, and Seungsik relaxed against him, resting his cheek on his shoulder. “This was my idea too. It’s not official or non-reversible, and it’s not something that will require any major thinking right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik nodded, but he doubted that he was convinced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want you here,” he whispered, kissing him on the side of his head. He ran his hands up and down his back and rocked him in his arms. “I want you here as much as you want to be. If that’s just a few pieces of furniture to make room for your friend’s things, I’m fine with it. If it’s… everything, I’m fine with that too. I just want you to be comfortable, but I want you here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure,” he swallowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You being here… more… is convenient for me,” he said, placing a strategic kiss on the sensitive spot behind his ear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed. “Really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he nodded, placing another kiss lower on his neck, letting his teeth nip at the flesh. He felt his body press closer against his, stirring slightly. “You can have as much space as you want, but the idea of you being here more is giving me ideas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of ideas,” Seungsik asked, his breath heavy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could tell you,” he considered. “Or I could show you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A man of action I see,” he laughed, letting his head fall back as Seungwoo carefully kissed right above his collar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly,” he said against his skin. Seungsik let out a sigh, and Seungwoo smiled, pleased with himself. “So about that nap.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nap? Now?” He almost choked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he ran his hands over his body. “I think we’ve earned it, being grandpas and all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please tell me this is just you trying to get me to go to your bedroom,” he asked up at the ceiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Seungwoo said playfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great, I love naptime,” he said, breaking away. He grabbed Seungwoo’s hand and pulled him with him, leaving a pile of dishes untouched. They could worry about cleaning up later, but first it was naptime.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And like the grandpas they were, they actually did take a nap, not long after collapsing onto the most comfortable bed in the world after a few well placed kisses. It felt good to sleep in his arms even if it was just for an hour or so, but that time when he woke up, Seungsik was still there, clinging onto his shirt in his sleep like he didn’t want him to roll away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Seungwoo wasn’t going anywhere, and he suspected based on the way that Seungsik nuzzled himself against him with a small smile on his lips that Seungsik wasn’t either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed that whatever decision they had silently made to themselves was going to work out in their favor, but until it came to light, he was happy just to have him like that, peaceful and safe and belonging to him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much for reading! Only one more to go, and I am gonna get a little emotional if I say more so uhhh yeah HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT THANK YOU AGAIN</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungwoo and Seungsik’s first week together comes to an end.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>😭 my little 4k one shot is finally finished!!! Thank you all for sticking with me all these months because I would have NEVER been able to finish without you. I hope this ending is satisfying because oh man this fic has been an emotional ball of fluff and I would hate to send you guys off without a little bit of a toothache. </p><p>A note: I listened to Inception by Ateez <em>a lot</em> while writing this so like yeah aha</p><p>THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH FOR READING YOU ALL DESERVE A MILLION HUGS AND KISSES AND THIS REALLY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A THING WITHOUT YOU ALL I AM GOING TO CRY IF I KEEP GOING I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH YOU GAVE ME THIS GIFT THANK YOU</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungwoo got what he wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and Seungsik managed to spend the whole afternoon together uninterrupted. Because they both had to go to work the next day, it was an afternoon spent completely doing nothing in a shared space, and Seungwoo learned quickly that he liked it that way the most. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He liked when Seungsik rested his head on his thigh while they watched a show together, and he liked that Seungsik was comfortable enough to bundle himself up in Seungwoo’s apartment with his laptop and ignore him for long stretches of time while job searching.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dinner at a fancy restaurant they had bounced around during the week was replaced with a couple packs of ramen with whatever toppings they could muster up between both of their kitchens, and instead of eating at the bar or in front of the couch, they moved the pot over to a box on the floor in front of Seungwoo’s big open window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your view is better than mine,” Seungsik mused, looking out at the darkening world outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s your view look like,” Seungwoo asked. He brought his bowl up to his mouth and slurped some of the broth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The parking garage,” he sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo snorted, almost choking on the soup. “Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he laughed. “I like the look of… concrete.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you ever get sick of it, you can look out my window anytime you like,” he offered. Seungsik looked at him and smiled. “Since you know the door code and all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed and shook his head. “Are you going to change yours now that we know that our building manager is lazy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed. “I might. What about you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Considering it,” he nodded. “What’s your birthday?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that question related,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It might be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The day before Christmas,” Seungwoo tilted his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No way,” he said in disbelief. “Your poor mom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo threw his head back and laughed. “I tell her I’m sorry every year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does that mean for Christmas I should get you two presents?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to get me anything. Just having you around is enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik made a noise like a hiss from the back of his throat, cringing at how cheesy Seungwoo was, but he could tell that he was pleased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, if I ever become </span>
  <em>
    <span>too much</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you should tell me,” Seungwoo added. “For some reason I don’t have a filter with you, and I don’t want to ever push you in a corner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yes, that filter,” he nodded. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Baby.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo groaned in pain, and if there was anything around other than the pot of ramen to throw at him, he would have. “That was an accident!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was it,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If anything, it’s your fault for making me feel so comfortable around you,” Seungwoo smiled. “This is why you have to tell me when I’m being too much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I promise that if I ever feel overwhelmed, you will be the first to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said, satisfied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I ever push too much or if I’m too clingy, I want you to say something, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How could you ever?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked at him and blinked. “Consider our track record.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh that was definitely all me,” Seungwoo said with a grin. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>pursued </span>
  </em>
  <span>you. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>lured you in.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” he laughed. “Like me coming by every day to ask you to do stuff with me was your idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s jaw dropped. “You know, every time you say something, I realize more and more what a mastermind you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if that was meant to be a compliment,” Seungwoo considered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m still taking it as one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you should,” he said. Seungsik raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I only want to ever compliment you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik blushed slightly. He forced back a smile and turned his attention back to the world below, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No? You don’t like it when I tell you how pretty you are?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The smile he suppressed grew slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or how you’re the kindest, nicest person I’ve ever met?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked down and blushed fully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You deserve to be told how great you are,” Seungwoo said. “Because it’s true, and I get a little rush from saying so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re too much,” he shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Seungwoo smiled. “It happens.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He returned to his noodles that had swollen during their conversation. It was the dinner they needed with the company they needed, and he was only sad that it was over, and that meant that their evening was over, and that meant that his week off and his first week with Seungsik was over. Even though they had spent the last two days together almost entirely, he wasn’t ready to say goodbye.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He’s not going anywhere, Seungwoo. He lives across the hall. You can see him after work. Like a normal boyfriend.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>So he chose to keep his sadness to himself because there was no need in spreading it, and Seungsik especially didn’t need to know how clingy he was. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey, I know we can’t move in together because that would be socially unacceptable but can you stay here? I will literally hand over my room and sleep on the couch if you say yes. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik took the empty pot into the kitchen and rinsed it out in the sink, and Seungwoo followed if only because he wanted to remain in the same space as him for just a little bit longer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll get the rest,” Seungwoo said, nudging him away from the sink. “Did you have enough?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he said cutely, pressing himself back against the counter. “Are you ready to go back to work tomorrow?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed. “You know I might not get another day off for a while, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” he nodded. “Your schedule is the worst.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo hummed and finished washing up the last of the dishes. “I’m sorry I won’t be able to take you out for a while.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t need to go out,” he said. He walked towards him and wrapped his arms around his waist. “I just don’t want to see you like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo frowned. He turned around and wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer, pressing their cheeks together. “It’s… likely… to happen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will feed you and carry you in next time,” Seungsik promised. “Anything to make it easier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t spoil me,” Seungwoo mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I’ll get used to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik squeezed him tighter and turned to leave a kiss on his cheek. “That’s kind of the point.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s it,” Seungwoo said, frustrated. “Get in my pocket! In you go!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He giggled brightly and tore himself away, baiting Seungwoo to chase him. He ran after him without a care in the world, and they fell down together on the couch. He pressed himself down on top of him and brushed his thumb over his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You chased me,” he said, looking up at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanted me to,” Seungwoo kissed him on the tip of his nose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but you could have ignored me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That wouldn’t have been fun,” he scrunched his nose. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think you’d make it so soft.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t going to, but when we hit the couch I forgot what I was going to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What were you going to do,” he raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo smirked and looked down at him, glancing dangerously at his lips, and he saw him lick them in anticipation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fool.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He jammed his fingers in Seungsik’s sides, pinning him down with his thighs. Seungsik shrieked out in surprise as his body seized from Seungwoo’s relentless tickling. He giggled wildly as he tried his best to jerk away, but Seungwoo had the advantage of catching him off guard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a firm roll, Seungsik managed to fling himself onto the floor and crawl away, out of breath from laughing too much. Seungwoo climbed down onto the floor after him, but he let him escape, out of breath himself. With his prey out of reach, Seungwoo flopped over on his back onto the floor and laughed. He couldn’t believe how goofy he was acting, but Seungsik brought it out of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik crawled over once it was safe and flopped down next to him. He scooted over so that his head touched Seungwoo’s shoulder, and he reached over and found his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Seungwoo laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be,” he said, winded. “I should have seen it coming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s true. You should have.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik turned towards him and made a face. Seungwoo smiled to himself, pleased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Seungwoo conceded. “Next time I’ll kiss you like you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I want?” He snorted. “Someone’s shameless.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t want me to kiss you?” Seungwoo rolled over on his side, propping himself up on his elbow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik looked up to him and bit his lip. “I didn’t say that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo closed his eyes and sighed, a faint smile hanging over him. He was taken by surprise as Seungsik lifted his head to find his lips, pressing against him for a slow and lingering kiss. Seungwoo’s breath hitched, and he found himself reaching for his shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What time is it,” Seungsik asked against his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s stomach churned. It was time for him to leave. He didn’t want him to leave. He pulled away slightly for some self control. “It’s late, I think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed and nodded before sitting up. “I was afraid of that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo did his best to hide the disappointment on his face, but hopefully he could just pass it off as exhaustion. “You heading back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik’s eyes flickered towards him and he blinked quickly, surprised. “Oh. Yeah, I guess I stayed too long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo sat up too and shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed. “Never too long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at him and twisted his mouth, deep in thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if,” Seungwoo looked down, letting himself be a little self indulgent. “You didn’t have to go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay with me,” he said. He looked at Seungsik fondly as he asked, feeling a warmth grow too fast. “For the night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have work tomorrow,” he reminded him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do,” he nodded. “And I promise we will go to bed at a reasonable hour, and this is not just an elaborate excuse to get you into bed with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” He laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just like you being here,” he said honestly. “So if you want to stay, you can, but if you want to go home, that’s fine too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He considered it quietly, weighing the pros and cons silently in his head. Seungwoo waited patiently, not wanting to push him too much. “You’re sure it’s okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo nodded. “Of course it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I’ll stay,” he said quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he smiled too brightly. He leaned forward and kissed him once on the cheek. “We should probably get ready for bed then so we’re not tired tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood up and helped Seungsik to his feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to pretend like this isn’t because you like my bed so much,” Seungwoo added. He giggled like he had been caught and took his hand, swinging it shamelessly. “Seungsik!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled brightly and broke free towards Seungwoo’s door. “I’m gonna go clean up and change and be right back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he shook his head. “Wait, you don’t sleep with pajamas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik froze. “I forgot I told you that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your flirting techniques are unmatched,” he teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oops,” he said. “I was, uhh, gonna figure something out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can borrow some of mine,” he offered. “But I’d rather you just sleep comfortably.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swallowed. “That’s a bit scandalous, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo folded his arms over his chest. “How did we sleep last night then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he smiled shyly. “I forgot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>forgot?!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Seungsik shouted, waving his arms. “Oh god, never! I just forgot that this was the same weekend. Time moves weird…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” he hung his head. “This week has been a long year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It has,” he agreed with a kind smile. “But I did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>forget… that…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can try harder next time,” Seungwoo considered with a grin. “But not tonight because it’s late, and I’ll keep you up all night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a promise,” he raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Seungwoo nodded. “But sleep how you like. My home is your home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” he said, shy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo put his hands over his own heart. “I know personally I will sleep much better if you sleep next to me without any clothes on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungwoo!” He cried out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo giggled happily and ushered him out the door. “Come back when you’re ready, I’ll be here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the door shut, he braced himself against it and took a deep labored breath. The ache in his chest was something he learned to manage, but it was back again and he no longer had any doubts that it meant that things were changing for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In his life, he had never met anyone else who matched with him as well as Seungsik did. He was happy, and he was ready to care for this person for the rest of his life as long as Seungsik wanted. The feeling he knew he had in his chest was something he wasn’t ready to name yet, but all he could say was that it belonged there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later Seungsik returned and they kept their promise of not keeping each other up all night for the sake of a long week coming, but it was nice to fall asleep with him on purpose. He pressed his nose in between Seungsik’s shoulder blades and kept one arm hooked over his torso while the other man snored softly into one of the pillows he brought with him. The rise and fall of his chest moved like a lullaby, and Seungwoo tried his best to keep himself awake just a little bit longer to savor this moment with him, but the pull was too strong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he drifted off to sleep, he had one stray thought that all they needed was a furry little friend sleeping in a ball at their feet. Owning a dog like Toast with him would have been fun, but since neither of them would have been able to come home during the day to take it out, maybe they could consider a cat. He smiled to himself and kissed his skin, careful not to wake him. He would have liked to own a cat with Seungsik. Yes, a cat curled up at their feet while they slept in the bed they shared, err, his bed that he owned all by himself would have made everything perfect.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next morning he was pulled out of a dream by a chapped lipped kiss planted directly in the center of his forehead. He grumbled sleepily and reached out for Seungsik who took his hand. He was sitting up next to him, trying to wake himself up, and Seungwoo was tempted to say screw their responsibilities and drag him back down with him to go back to bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are you going,” he mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to leave for work,” he said quietly, his voice hoarse from the early hours. “I’ll see you later, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you sleep enough,” Seungwoo asked, giving his hand a light squeeze. His eyes were still shut but he could feel him looking down at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he assured him. “Go back to sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What time is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“4 a.m.,” Seungsik said. “I’m sorry I woke you before your alarm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t even hear yours,” he said, frowning. “It’s so early.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed softly. “My shift starts really early, and I keep my phone on vibrate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Living on the edge,” Seungwoo mumbled. “Come here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pushed himself up and planted a clumsy kiss on his cheek before collapsing back on the bed, still out of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was that for,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning kiss,” he mumbled as he faded back into his dream. Before he could explain that he had a long list of kisses he wanted to check off, his alarm went off and he opened his eyes to an empty room. Seungsik had gone to work because he had to, and then it was Seungwoo’s turn to drag himself to the office.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stumbled off to take a shower and clean himself up for work, and then he headed into the kitchen for a quick breakfast. He looked around frowned. Seungsik probably didn’t have a chance to eat, and Mr. Potato Chips probably didn’t pack a lunch either even though they had a mountain of leftovers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled out his phone, knowing what he had to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>did you take any food to work</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>good morning to you too lol</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>no time for small talk i’m on a mission </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>oh? lol no i had to run but it’s fine</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>no it’s not fine 😭 when’s your lunch break?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>today around 11 why</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>ok text me your subway order then</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>you dont have to do that…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>if you don’t tell me what you like i will bring you the grossest sandwich i can come up with :D </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>you’re threatening me????</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i am merely buying my boyfriend lunch ❤️ </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>:( you’re too much</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>have lunch with me i miss u </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>LOL! fine ❤️ i’ll send it later </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>good c: i’ll drop it off and leave you to saving the world</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>you wont eat with me? :(</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>do you want me too? 👀 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>😭 of course i want you too wtf 😭 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i mean you never know….</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>you know i like you as much as you like me right</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked down at his phone and swallowed. He never imagined a world where that was possible, and he wasn’t sure that Seungsik knew what it was that he was saying. Seungwoo didn’t just like him…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>i promise</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked up at his ceiling, fighting back teary eyes and took a deep breath. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> didn’t know what he was saying.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>❤️ i’ll be there around 11 with your food</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i’ve gotta get going but i hope you have an easy day today</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik</b>
  <span> you too! don’t forget your paperwork</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What paperwork,” Seungwoo asked out loud with a confused frown, and then he gasped. His paperwork! Literally the reason they got together was that he left his briefcase at Seungsik’s place, and it had important documents that he was supposed to take care of </span>
  <em>
    <span>a week ago. “Shit!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Work hadn’t called him about it though. If it was a big deal, they never would have let him go past Monday without chewing him out so maybe it wasn’t that important. Just to be sure, he opened up his work email account that he never looked at outside of office hours and almost threw up all over his kitchen. There were dozens, if not a hundred unread messages, and he knew he was done for. He was about to show up to work just to clean off his desk and end up on Chan’s couch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>a good time to lose his job. Technically it was never a good time to lose his job, but he and Seungsik couldn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>both</span>
  </em>
  <span> be out of work. What kind of support system was that? No, he was going to have to clean up his mess for the sake of them all, and to do that, he was going to have to get to work before everyone else he worked with and prepare to grovel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And grovel he did. He was definitely in trouble, but since he had never made a mistake before, he was allowed to keep his job, but it wasn’t going to be easy. In fact he was sure it was going to be a nightmare. The only comfort he had was knowing that he was going to get to sneak off to see Seungsik for his lunch break. A better employee would have skipped lunch, but Seungwoo was not in the mood to be a better employee. He was already handing over his life. They could live without his stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> couldn’t so with a brief heads up to his supervisor, he headed out of the building and towards the Subway down the street. They both worked downtown, and the restaurant almost split the distance between them in half. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He power walked there, and when he finally made it inside, he was completely out of breath. He wheezed out their orders, reading Seungsik’s off of his phone like a baby intern, and the poor person making their sandwiches had to struggle to translate his breathless words to something intelligent and hopefully edible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without a chance to check to make sure he didn’t accidentally call off the wrong ingredients, he was back down the street towards Seungsik’s work.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i’m about a block away</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>oh good! </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>there’s a little place with tables downstairs outside if that’s fine so you won’t have to get a guest pass</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>that’s fine c: it feels great outside</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>does it?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>sunny with a chance of cheek kissies</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>😭 </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>i’m just kidding but it does feel nice ❤️ </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>i’m on my way down</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>no rush! </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungwoo: </b>
  <span>ok that’s a lie i can’t stay for the whole hour but if you don’t come down i’ll leave it at the front desk for you</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Seungsik: </b>
  <span>omg i’m on my way don’t run off yet</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo found the tables Seungsik mentioned and had a seat. A nervousness spread in his stomach as he remembered this was technically a law enforcement kind of place, and he wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>authorized </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be there. Even though he didn’t go inside, he was sure the tables weren’t open to the public, and he wasn’t sure what he would do if someone came up to him and asked him to leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Actually, he knew exactly what he would do. He would apologize profusely, hand over his sandwiches, and run back to work where he couldn’t bother anybody, but luckily he was safe because the first person who came out of the building was his boyfriend who was very unlikely to run him off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waved, and Seungsik almost skipped towards him, wearing a smile on his face that he tried and failed to keep off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo stood up to greet him but he didn’t touch him yet. This was his work place, and he didn’t want to do anything to put him in an uncomfortable position, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>to. Just a small hug or a quick peck on the cheek would have sufficed, but he held himself back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so happy to see you,” he said as they sat down at the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I bring food,” Seungwoo said proudly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not the only reason,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not?” Seungwoo asked as he unpacked the contents of the bag with a smile on his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” he said. He placed his own sandwich down in front of him and gave it a grateful pat. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I might not be able to make a habit of this for a while,” he frowned. “But I think we’ll just have to put something together the night before whenever you stay at my place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve got all this planned out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had some time to think on the walk over,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess we could try that,” he said as he pulled the paper wrapper off his sandwich. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did I get it right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looks good to me,” Seungsik said after a brief inspection under the bread.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he said, relieved. “The person who made it kind of had a hard time understanding me because well I’m an old man apparently.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed and took a bite. “What, did you run there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could say that…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine! I like walking super fast around downtown! It makes me feel important,” Seungwoo said confidently. Seungsik shook his head, amused enough with him that it saved him from feeling too bad, but he changed the subject anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So not that I liked making you walk this far, but why couldn’t this be a habit,” he asked. “Just because I’m curious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” he winced. “I’m in a little bit of trouble.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember the paperwork from last weekend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That you so kindly reminded me of this morning?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I may have… forgot… about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh boy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo took a deep breath. “So along with the nine day week I have ahead of me, they want me to stay late and work in the evenings too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no,” he frowned, concerned. “Do you have to work late tonight then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo nodded his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How late?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you feel about your boyfriend texting you from the bus before bed,” he asked with a half smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked down at his sandwich and nodded. “For nine days?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he said. “But then I’ll either get a few more normal days, or they’ll let me go home for a break so we might have to wait a bit for any more date nights, but we’ll see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t mind waiting,” he reached out and squeezed his hand for comfort. “I just don’t want to see you overwork yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be fine,” he said. “Thank you for worrying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s hard not to,” Seungsik said with a frown. “You know, you can quit too you know… if it’s too hard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed and nodded. “One at a time. Speaking of… how is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed. “I didn’t today, but I think I’m close. Definitely going to wait until I have something lined up, but I want to before the Summer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“People get kind of… crazy… when the weather gets hot,” he said. “A lot more violence, and you know what, I don’t want to be the person who knows that anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t blame you,” he frowned. “If it gets too bad, feel free to call me from the bathroom or something. I’ll hide under my desk and everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if you get in trouble?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let them fire me,” he shrugged. “I can live with Chan. I did it before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik leaned forward on his elbows. “That’s one idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you offering to let me sleep on your couch,” he flashed a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, this has all been nothing but an elaborate scheme to get to lay on my couch, hasn’t it,” Seungsik laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a good couch!” Seungwoo defended himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will trade you my couch for your bed,” he offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said softly, unable to control the smile on his lips. Even though he did love Seungsik’s couch, he loved watching him fall into </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>bed more. It was an image he planned to replay in his mind over and over again until he got through this next long stretch of work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked away shyly and returned to his sandwich. “Finish up so you don’t get in trouble.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir,” Seungwoo nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not long after, they said goodbye, and Seungwoo still didn’t get to check off a goodbye kiss from his list, but they could sort that out later. Seungsik carried the uneaten half of his sandwich back with him so Seungwoo could walk back to work before the end of his lunch hour. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the way back, he shoved an airpod into one ear, leaving the other free so he could listen to his surroundings for safety. He doubted Seungsik getting a call that his boyfriend was hit by a car on his way back from bringing him his lunch would be something they wanted to experience so he had to be extra careful. He pulled up the charts to see what was popular and saw a new song by some artist named Woodz who he had never heard of. He shrugged and gave it a listen, and it suited his taste so he let it carry him back to work with just a song and his thoughts to get him through the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did not get in trouble for taking a lunch break because he made it back before his hour was over, but he thought that it would have to be their last for a while just in case. Work was hard but at least he didn’t have to leave the office for a while, and for that he was grateful. If he had to work evenings </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>be on a build site, he would probably have to stay at an inn outside of the city for at least a week, and that was something he did not want to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time he was finally free, the day was over and it was already well into the evening. All he wanted to do was get home and drop into bed like a sack of potatoes, but he had to </span>
  <em>
    <span>get there </span>
  </em>
  <span>first. The commute was annoying, and after his walk back and forth across downtown, he decided that perhaps it was time to break into his savings and get a car. Nothing fancy, but it would make his life easier, and then maybe he and Seungsik could go on trips. Maybe he could drive them both to work. Well, that was a stretch thanks to their schedules, but he could try his best to! Yes, he thought. It was time to get a car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made it back to his building and took the elevator up to their floor, drawn by the pull of his own bed. He was so close, he almost crawled there, but once he reached his door, he hesitated. As much as he wanted to go home, he wanted to see Seungsik more. He looked across the hall and considered knocking. Just to say hi. It was late so he would just say hi and goodnight, but dropping by like that with his briefcase in hand made him feel like a door to door salesman. No, it would have been better to go home first, drop off his things, and then pop over to tell him goodnight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded to himself and went to his own apartment. He punched in the door code, but when he opened the door, he noticed the light had been left on. He frowned. He must have been in a hurry when he left because that wasn’t like him, but when he stepped inside, he realized his apartment also didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>smell </span>
  </em>
  <span>like it was supposed to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” Seungwoo called out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In here,” a voice called back, and it wasn’t Chan. Seungwoo’s heart jumped as he hurried inside to find Seungsik busy in his kitchen with a big boiler on the stove and a pan filled with this and that. “Hi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Seungwoo said with a warm smile. “What are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I figured you wouldn’t have time to make yourself anything to eat when you got back and you said I could let myself in whenever I wanted to so I thought…,” he swallowed. “This was a bad idea, wasn’t it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Seungwoo exclaimed. “I was just about to go over to your place to see you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh really,” he smiled to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really,” he nodded. “I just wanted to drop my stuff off first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm. Go change out of your work clothes if you want. This is almost done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had a box of linguini at my place and you had some frozen prawns in your freezer so I just,” he said before making a squishing motion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Prawn pasta?” Seungwoo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I cooked them in butter and garlic,” he said, proud. “It’s not really that fancy, but it’s—.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Going to be delicious,” he smiled. “Although…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” he asked, nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were </span>
  <em>
    <span>determined </span>
  </em>
  <span>to get your pasta, weren’t you,” Seungwoo teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik pouted and huffed. “Purely a coincidence!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure it is,” he giggled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to keep this all to myself,” he grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you can’t do that, it's mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will! I will keep all the pasta!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Seungwoo cried out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik laughed brightly, amused by his childishness. He waved his hand at him to shoo him off. “Go put your stuff down and eat before it gets cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo pretended to slump his shoulders and sulk away to the other room. He didn’t waste time changing, choosing instead to come back and sit on the barstool after he put his stuff away and watch him finish. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik took out a plate, already familiar with the kitchen, and set it down next to the stove. With his back to Seungwoo, he carefully grabbed a large serving of the pasta with a pair of tongs and twisted it on the plate until he was satisfied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He passed the plate over the counter to him, and Seungwoo was so moved, he had tears in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are feeding me?” Seungwoo sniffled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik snorted. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Stop.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“A meal? For me?” His eyes welled up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungwoo!” He whined. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo put his head in his hands. “I’m sorry I’m just so overwhelmed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you need a minute?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, please,” he nodded with a playful smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik shook his head and turned back towards the fridge. He said something about a salad, but Seungwoo’s thoughts were somewhere else. He was only playing with him, but he wasn’t lying when he said that he was feeling overwhelmed. Everything about this was so wonderful and unfamiliar, and he wondered if this was how it felt for home to be a person. He wondered if Seungsik had a clue that he had become somebody’s home or if it was something he could even consider.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eat,” he scolded, setting down the container of salad he had thrown together earlier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m waiting for you,” Seungwoo said. “You’re eating with me, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he laughed. “I forgot about me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo gave him a questioning look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will in a minute,” he said quietly. He grabbed himself a plate and dropped a serving on pasta on top without nearly as much grace. He passed it over the counter before walking around to the other side and took his place next to Seungwoo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You needed to eat,” he said like it wasn’t a big deal. “And this was mostly just waiting for water to boil.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For being here,” he said, a growing warmth in his stomach. “Thank you for this, but thank you for being here when I got home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to make a habit of it,” he looked down and prodded at a prawn. Seungwoo waited patiently, assuming another thought was going to follow. “I went home, put my things down, sat on the couch, and felt weird so I came here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When did you get here,” Seungwoo asked, surprised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik swallowed, poking at his food. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Earlier.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“How much earlier,” he asked lightly with a raised brow. A fond smile appeared on his face as he watched Seungsik squirm in his seat, holding onto his little secret.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some time after work,” he said casually.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How much time after work?” Seungwoo leaned over on his elbow and watched him carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does it matter,” his eyes shifted towards him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes and no,” he said. Seungsik looked at him for clarification, feeling self conscious. “Yes because I’m nosy. No because I don’t mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He exhaled deeply, twisting his noodles around on the plate. “Like… right after…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably around 5? Maybe a little later?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo shook the watch on his wrist around so he could check the time. His eyes widened in shock once he saw the little hand pointing far away from the five. “You’ve been here for like four hours? All by yourself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed suspiciously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you do this whole time?” Seungwoo didn’t mind, but he couldn’t imagine that sitting in someone else’s apartment all afternoon while they weren’t there could have been fun at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh you know, just stuff,” he said flippantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo raised an eyebrow and leaned towards him. “Like what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I made you dinner,” he offered. “See.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And it’s delicious,” he said. “What about the other three hours?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” he started. “I watched a little tv.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You figured out the remote?” Seungsik’s eyes flickered towards him at the question. Seungwoo had a lot of questions, but he had to figure out the best way to pry them out of him because </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> was acting shifty</span>
  <em>
    <span>. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Anything else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cleaned a little,” he shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You cleaned my apartment,” he asked, looking around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dusted a little,” Seungsik said. “And swept and mopped.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got bored.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” he nodded. “Anything else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik took a deep breath and shoved a wad of pasta in his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungsik…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you hiding?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ca- da- ma- pu-,” Seungsik muttered with a hand covering his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Seungwoo laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chewed a bit and swallowed. “Can’t talk with my mouth full.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, it’s not full now.” Seungsik froze before he lifted up another wad of pasta to his mouth. “Don’t! Just tell me! I’m dying here! I promise I won’t care.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he groaned, letting the pasta fall back onto his plate. “I may have moved some stuff around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see that you are not very observant in the evening,” he said to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked back into his apartment to see if anything was different. His pictures were still on the walls. His tv was where it was supposed to be. His playstation had been put up properly on the shelf, but he supposed that that was because Seungsik didn’t want to get it wet when he mopped, but other than that, everything was exactly the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except for one thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that your couch,” Seungwoo blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it,” he asked, his voice squeaking. “I didn’t notice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Chan wanted me to tell you that the plan worked,” he said. “He and Hanse are going to hang out next weekend so he said to not expect him to drop by.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When did you talk to Chan?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When he came over to help me move the couch,” Seungsik said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blinked. “Did Chan show you how to work the remote too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled to himself and continued to poke at his food.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Amazing,” Seungwoo said in disbelief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you upset with me,” he asked, grimacing. “I did too much, right? That was too much. Oh god, why did I do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> you do that,” he asked, fondly. He reached over and ran his fingertips down the backside of Seungsik’s arm, once again overwhelmed by a wave of affection for his deranged pasta man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you like it,” he said quietly. “And I would rather it be here than at my place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And why is that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grimaced again and shook his head. “I can’t say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have to, I’m invested,” Seungwoo said with a kind smile. “I promise you won’t say anything that I wouldn’t want you to unless it’s because your couch has termites. Then we might have to fight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed brightly, not nearly as nervous as he was a second ago. “My couch doesn’t have termites.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then what is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because,” he started, searching for his words. “I like  being here more so if we have to sit on my couch, I’d rather it be here instead of at my place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Seungwoo was hopeful, his heart pounding in his chest. It was impossible that Seungsik mirrored his feelings, but he couldn’t help but want him to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s weird right? That I like being here more than my own apartment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think it’s weird,” he said. “I like you being here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It feels like home here,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then you’re home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at him and raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, just be here when you want,” Seungwoo added. “I promise it’s okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked down and nodded, deep in thought, and Seungwoo wanted to ask for more, but he wasn’t sure if he had made him say too much. He didn’t want to be the reason Seungsik regretted his own feelings especially since he was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>nosy </span>
  </em>
  <span>about them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The other night,” Seungsik said since he was already opening up. “When we had ice cream and you wanted to know what I was thinking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking that I didn’t know why I didn’t want to go home,” he said. “When you said we should meet up, I didn’t want to leave, and I didn’t know why.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could have said so,” Seungwoo said. “We could have stayed here and ordered.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. “It wasn’t right. We weren’t even a thing. It didn’t make sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were almost a thing,” he muttered. He wasn’t bitter at Hanse for interrupting them because it honestly was not the right time, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>upset with himself for letting his doubts skew a perfectly good moment. If he had been less of an idiot, he wouldn’t have upset Seungsik so much by avoiding him </span>
  <em>
    <span>for his sake.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Were we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo blushed and looked away. Maybe he misinterpreted that too… “I thought so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed and nodded. “I think you’re right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But we’re a thing now, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he nodded again, staring intently at his plate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So be home here,” he said. “I think you’re allowed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think?” Seungsik laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well like I don’t know the rules, but if I’m allowed to have a say in this, I’d say you’re allowed to be here as much as you want even when I’m not here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you make the rules then,” he said. “So I can have a guideline to follow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo scratched his chin and looked off in thought. “Alright. One: you can spend as much time here as you want even if I’m not here. Two: you have to always tell me if I do something you don’t like so I can fix it. Three: you will stay with me until being with me doesn’t make you happy anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that all?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s not a rule, but as a bonus I would like a lot of kisses.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed brightly. “I can do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And your rules? Because we are fair here, and I have always wanted to move at your pace as much as I could.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik hummed, considering what he wanted. “One: you have to tell me if you start having doubts about anything so I can fix them. Two: you tell me if I’m inserting myself too much in your life because as someone smart once said, I don’t have much of a filter with you. Three: you never hold yourself back again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked down and nodded. “I think I can manage that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Also I would like a lot of kisses too,” he added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo laughed loudly at that, thoroughly amused. “Of course those are included. So where do we go from here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First, we finish our dinner because it’s getting late,” he said. “And then I guess since I have to get up early again and you have a long day tomorrow, we should go ahead and get ready for bed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo nodded. He was more so thinking about the future, but he supposed that the future didn’t matter if he was living in short moments with someone who was willing to live them with him. They could build a routine that comfortably placed them in each other’s lives, and that didn’t require a plan or a destination. Seungsik was his today and tomorrow, and they could figure out the rest as they came to it. All he knew was that somehow they had become some kind of home for each other, and for the first time in a long time, Seungwoo forgot how it felt to be lonely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Seungsik looked a little brighter. He didn’t have the volatile glow of a new relationship or the fragile step of someone running over glass. He looked comfortable and at ease, and once he had real permission to be there, he moved like he was in his own space, and that made Seungwoo’s heart do things that nothing else could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought of the mischievous neighbor who paid for his pizza, bought him the silver chain on his wrist, and came searching for him when he was in distress, and for what it was worth, he knew that he loved him even if he couldn’t say it yet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He loved him the way he loved the feeling of sunshine on his skin on a cold morning, and he loved him the way he loved standing at the edge of the sea at night when no one was around to bother him. And even though Seungsik couldn’t say it either, he knew he loved him back by the way he pulled his head against his chest when they slept and the way he sought him out like Seungwoo had the power to make things better even when he couldn’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They became someone to rely on for each other, and they took that very seriously. It was contagious apparently because they also became the two people that the others in their small circle learned to rely on the most. Over time, two homes became one, and that home was hardly ever empty with a guest or five dropping by to be taken care of by their adoptive parents. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Seungwoo’s home was no longer just his alone, but a safe place for a lot of people who he cared deeply for in different ways, and other than the indisputable lifelong brotherhood he had with Chan, the one person who soaked up all of his love and returned it back to him ten fold was none other than Seungsik, the person he wanted to give his love to the most.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And to think that someone so special to him was always just a few steps away, and all it took was a simple mistake on his part and a moment of trust on Seungsik’s to finally find him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>nananana...</p><p>nananana...</p><p>hey hey hey...</p><p>goodbye ❤️</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think, and I ‘ll try to update this as fast as possible!</p><p>You can find me on twitter @hugsubin</p></blockquote></div></div>
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